EMMERDALE LEGEND'S TRAGIC DEATH CONFIRMED IN HEARTBREAKING SCENES AFTER NEARLY 30 YEARS

Emmerdale has confirmed that the death of Zak Dingle will be incorporated into the storyline of the ITV soap. There had been speculation about whether Zak's demise would be featured in the show, allowing fans to say their goodbyes to the much-loved character.

This follows the passing of actor Steve Halliwell, who portrayed Zak and recently died at 77. Currently, Zak is off-screen residing with his granddaughter Debbie in Scotland, while many members of the Dingle family remain in the iconic village, having made long journeys to visit him.

The Yorkshire Dales-based family will receive the heartbreaking news of Zak's death later this year. Emmerdale producer Sophie Roper confirmed to Digital Spy that a tribute storyline for both Zak and Halliwell, acknowledging his significant contribution to the show, is in the works.

She told the outlet: "The Dingles have been at the heart of our show for 30 years now and will continue to be so."

"We lost Steve recently the very sad loss of Steve. So we're going to be marking Zak's passing the iconic Zak Dingle character in the coming months with a Dingle funeral," Sophie added. She also mentioned that filming had been emotional for staff and co-stars, as Halliwell had been such an integral part of the production for a long time, reports Leeds Live.

Sophie noted that the funeral scenes were "very difficult for a lot of people who work on our show and a lot of our viewers who have grown and loved Zak for many, many years."

"But there'll be a hugely fitting tribute for such an iconic character coming up," she confirmed. Halliwell, who portrayed the beloved character for almost three decades, peacefully passed away last December.

His passing sparked a flood of tributes from heartbroken fans, co-workers and Emmerdale's bosses, many of whom had worked alongside him for years.

A spokesperson for the soap said: "Steve will forever be synonymous with Emmerdale. The proud defender and head of the Dingle family. Heart and humour in all he did, it has been and always will be impossible not to smile when you think of him."

Lisa Riley, known for her portrayal of Mandy Dingle, expressed her gratitude on social media, thanking him for "years of laughter" and emphasising that he was "adored, loved [and] respected by us all". She ended her post by saying: "A LEGEND in my eyes, that's for sure we have stories and memories to last for many more years to come."

2024-07-03T14:05:17Z dg43tfdfdgfd