Steve Halliwell, best known to millions as Emmerdale’s Zak Dingle has died, aged 77.
His family said that he died peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.
“He was making us laugh to the end, the most amazing father and grandfather you could ever wish for, family was everything to him.”
They also paid tribute to staff at St James’s Hospital in Leeds and Wheatfield Hospice for their “love and kindness” in his final days.
They added:
“He didn’t want sadness, just to rejoice in a life well lived.”
He spent 27 years at Emmerdale, first joining the ITV soap in 1994 and then retiring in 2021. He took 5 months off in 2018 to have a pacemaker fitted, when he was diagnosed with a serious heart condition.
“Steve Halliwell was one of those rare human beings who was as wonderful off screen as on,” said John Whiston Managing Director of Continuing Drama & Head of ITV in the North.
“To millions of Emmerdale viewers he was the brawny but crafty Dingle patriarch who led the clan with a strong fist and a warm heart. To everyone who worked on Emmerdale he was a much loved friend and colleague, the undoubted father of the show, but also its fun mischievous uncle. We will miss him enormously.”
Born in Bury, he started out as an apprentice engineer and had a number of jobs in cotton and paper mills before training as an actor at a local theatre school. He would later become a founding member of the Interchange Theatre in Bury.
Prior to joining Emmerdale, he appeared in a number of television shows including Cracker, GBH, Heartbeat and Corrie.
Love you so so much Steve….the laughter lives on 💛💛💛 rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/f5xVbzeUCT
— LISA RILEY (BLUE TICK) (@Reallisariley) December 15, 2023
It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that Emmerdale can confirm that Steve Halliwell, our beloved Zak Dingle, has peacefully passed away.
— Emmerdale (@emmerdale) December 15, 2023
You can read the full statement here: https://t.co/5wtfZAJ46P pic.twitter.com/cFRlavTxk6
In 2014, he released a story of his life – If the cap fits: My rocky road to Emmerdale.
