The death of TV legend Steve Halliwell spelt the end of a very big era for Emmerdale and

now characters, cast and fans will say a final farewell to the iconic Zak Dingle, with the character

set to be killed off. The actor, who was known to millions for his portrayal, died peacefully

aged 77, according to a statement released by his family. ‘He went to sleep, peacefully with his loved ones around him,’ read the statement. ‘He was making us laugh to the end, the most amazing father and grandfather you could ever wish for, family was everything to him. ‘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.’ We first met Zak back in 1994, with the hot-tempered and fiercely protective patriarch being central to much of the Dales chaos. Emmerdale Spoilers: Jai & Laurel’s Relationship Crisis Unfolds- Is This End? Emmerdale double exit ‘confirmed’ as Tom King plans to quit village in chilling twist Through being the head of one of soap’s most iconic families and also his beautiful marriage to soulmate Lisa, Zak and Steve were cemented into soap history books very quickly, and the village won’t be the same without him.

Zak will always be fondly remembered as the head of the Dingles (Picture: ITV/REX) Which is why it is fitting that the show is planning a big tribute to him, with emotional funeral episodes in coming months. ‘The Dingles have been at the heart of our show for 30 years now and will continue to be so,’ producer Sophie Roper told Metro.co.uk. ‘We lost Steve recently, the very sad passing of Steve, so we’re going to be marking the passing of the iconic Zak Dingle in the coming months with a Dingle funeral. ‘It’s very difficult for a lot of people who work on the show and for many of our viewers who have loved Zak for many, many years, but there’ll be a fitting tribute to such an iconic character coming up.’

Following the beloved actor’s death, Emmerdale shared their love for Steve, saying in a statement: ‘It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that Emmerdale can confirm that Steve Halliwell, our beloved Zak Dingle, has peacefully passed away. ‘All our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones through this very difficult time, and we’d request that their privacy is respected as they grieve for his loss. ‘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.’ The character has been mentioned several times since his last appearance in June, including when daughter Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper) phoned him to ask for his blessing for her marriage to Tom King (James Chase).

Since then, Belle’s ordeal at the hands of her husband has horrified viewers, with Sophie adding in a separate preview that this plotline would be taking centre-stage once more with more big episodes. ‘Belle and Tom – that’s obviously a huge storyline for us at the moment, an incredibly important if not difficult storyline to watch at moments,’ she told us. ‘It’s resonating with our audience because it’s such a huge, real issue. We’re continuing with that story and trying to be really truthful to those kind of relationships. We’ve got a special episode coming up that sees Tom and Belle head off to Wales on a trip away together. ‘Tom is very much isolating Belle from her family, from her surroundings, from everything that she knows and loves, which is very much unfortunately a typical trait of abusers. ‘It will be difficult drama at moments, but a really important message and a really important story we’re keen to continue to tell.’