Emmerdale actor Steve Halliwell dies at the age of 77

Steve Halliwell, best known for his role as Zak Dingle in the British show Emmerdale, has died at the age of 77. The actor debuted on the ITV soap opera for the first time in October 1994 and spent 27 years there. His family released a statement saying that he died quietly in the company of his loved ones.

Steve Halliwell’s family issues statement 

Halliwell’s family issued a statement confirming his death on Friday, December 15. It read, “He went to sleep, peacefully with his loved ones around him. He was making us laugh to the end, the most amazing father and grandfather you could ever wish for, family was everything to him.”

The statement continued, “We would like to thank the wonderful staff at St James Hospital and the Wheatfield Hospice for their love and kindness in his final days. He didn’t want sadness, just to rejoice in a life well lived.”

Steve Halliwell in Emmerdale

Before attending Mountview Theatre School to train as an actor, Halliwell was employed as an apprentice engineer. He made appearances in British TV series Threads, Cracker, and Coronation Street before becoming a star in Emmerdale.

His character, Zak Dingle, represented the head of the Dingle household and was part of some dramatic storylines alongside his on-screen wife Lisa Dingle, played by Jane Cox. 

He released a single in 1996 under the title Hillbilly Rock Hillbilly Roll with his Emmerdale co-stars Alun Lewis and Billy Hartman as a country rock trio. They went by The Woolpackers, a reference to the ITV soap opera's Woolpack pub. In 2018, Halliwell took a leave of absence from the show and underwent heart surgery to implant a pacemaker.