Actor John Savident, loved for his role as butcher Fred Elliott in Coronation Street, has died aged 86.
His agent said in a statement: "We are sad to announce the death of the actor John Savident who died on Wednesday, February 21.
"He was a much-loved husband and father of two and will be sorely missed by all who knew him."
The much-loved actor was born in Guernsey in 1938 and still lived there at the time of the German occupation of the island in 1940. He and his family escaped to Britain in a fishing boat.
John joined Coronation Street as Fred Elliott in 1994, quickly becoming a firm favourite with viewers thanks to his huge personality, iconic sayings and his memorable loud voice.
His storylines involved Fred's often disastrous love life, including three marriages and several failed proposals.
Fans of the soap will also remember that Fred had a secret son, Ashley Peacock (played by Steven Arnold), who also arrived on the show and the two later developed a close bond as they worked as butchers together in Weatherfield.
Savident's character Fred was killed off in 2006, suffering a stroke in Audrey Robert’s (Sue Nicholls) hallway on the day he was supposed to marry Bev Unwin (Susie Blake).
John was also known for his performance as Monsieur Firmin in the West End cast of The Phantom of the Opera. He also had other television appearances in Danger Man, The Saint, Callan and Doctor Who.
Following his long stint on the ITV soap, John also went on to star in numerous pantos where he was loved by audiences around the country.
