Emmerdale fans have been saddened by the death of Andy Devine who passed away over a decade after he filmed his final scenes as Shadrach Dingle on the iconic soap.
Fans of the long-running ITV teatime drama were heartbroken when news of Andy’s death at the age of 79 was shared on Monday – although the actor actually died back on 27 January.
Andy played Shadrach on Emmerdale from March 2000 until July 2010 – with the actor featuring in an impressive 345 episodes over the years.
Shadrach also appeared in a flashback scene in 2017, but he was played by an actor named Matt Sutton for that appearance.
Fans of Emmerdale will recall the heartbreaking death of Shadrach in dramatic scenes that aired 12 years ago as the character perished after falling into a river while drunk.
Viewers had watched the character go on a drinking binge – with his nephew Marlon, played by Mark Charnock, bitterly telling him he didn’t care if he drank himself to death.
Shadrach ultimately dropped cans of beer in a river and then collapsed while trying to retrieve them – with the character dying due to drowning and with his liver failing and rupturing during the fatal night.
His body was discovered by Marlon and his girlfriend Rhona Goskirk, played by Zoe Henry, with Marlon weeping as he cradled his uncle’s lifeless body.
Andy’s death was reported on Monday, with public records confirming that he had died four months earlier on January 27.
His cause of death has still not been confirmed.
Tributes have poured in for the late actor since the news of his death emerged, with fans flocking to Twitter to share their shock and sadness.
One distraught fan tweeted: "Rip Andy Devine - aka Shadrach Dingle in Emmerdale I’ve just heard the news."
Another added: "Saddened to learn that Andy Devine (Shadrach Dingle in Emmerdale) has died. What an actor (and character). 'Oooh me cans'."
One fan also wrote: "Just heard the sad news that Andy Devine who played Shadrach Dingle in Emmerdale and Bernard in Queer as Folk passed away in January. "Brilliant comic characters that he played so well. 'Hazel, we’ve got lesbians!'"
While another fan tweeted at the official Emmerdale account to state: “I’m very sorry to hear that the Dingle star - Andy Devine died aged 79 earlier in the year - please accept my condolences to all of you to former & current colleagues of @emmerdale.”
As well as starring in Emmerdale and Queer as Folk, Andy had a career involving other roles that stretched back to 1963.
His first role was as an uncredited extra on a series titled Maigret, and he went on to play Draconian in Doctor Who across four episodes in 1973.
His most recent role was playing a character named Dennis Dowling in the BBC lunchtime soap Doctors, appearing in one episode in 2011.
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