The Dingle family from Emmerdale is bracing for a devastating blow on Tuesday evening as they learn of the death of their patriarch, Zak Dingle.
Steve Halliwell, who played Zak, sadly passed away last December at 77-years-old. The actor had been portraying the iconic Zak since 1994 and quickly won over the hearts of viewers.
In light of Steve's passing, the soap's creators have woven in a heartbreaking death storyline for the cherished actor and character, which will see the unexpected return of a long-lost relative at his funeral.
As the Dingles take centre stage in the ITV soap, audiences may find themselves reminiscing about past characters on the show. Those who have followed the soap for a long time might remember that Ben Dingle, portrayed by Steve Fury now Steve Jackson, was the first member of the Dingle family to make an appearance on Emmerdale on August 9, 1994.
Ben was one of Zak's children, along with Nathan, Butch, Cain, Sam, Tina and Belle. Zak fathered Nathan, Butch, Ben, Sam, and Tina with his first wife, Nellie Dingle, reports Leeds Live. He had Cain with Faith Dingle and later welcomed Belle with Lisa Dingle.
Despite being the first Dingle to feature on Emmerdale, Ben's stint was brief as he only appeared in one episode. Ben tragically died due to a heart defect following a brawl with Luke McAllister and Joe Sugden on the ITV soap.
Emmerdale celebrated the significant moment in its history back in August 2020, with the show's official Facebook page reminiscing: "ON THIS DAY IN #Emmerdale 9th August 1994 (ep 1893) Ben Dingle dies of a heart defect after a fight with Luke McAllister and Joe Sugden. This is the first appearance of a Dingle in Emmerdale!"
Although his time on Emmerdale was brief, actor Steve has since featured in a host of popular TV series, including a stint on another ITV soap. After his role in Emmerdale, Steve took on the character of Mike in The Cops for 16 episodes in 1998, followed by a turn as Barry Sleight in Clocking Off in 2000 for eight episodes.
Steve then secured the part of Trevor Dean in Coronation Street, where he appeared from 2010 to 2011. More recently, he portrayed Kevin Wilson in Ackley Bridge from 2017 to 2019 and Jeremy Sharpe in All Creatures Great and Small in 2020.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
