Ant and Dec lead tributes to the 48-year-old deceased Emmerdale and Byker Grove star Dale Meeks. In the BBC adolescent drama, the actor portrayed Greg, the leader of the rival youth club to Byker Grove, Denton Burn.
However, he was best known for his role as Simon Meredith on the ITV serial opera Emmerdale from 2003 to 2006.
His brother, Philip Meeks, told PA news that he died of cardiac failure on Saturday evening in a South Tyneside hospital.
“My heart is broken,” he said, verifying his brother’s 49th birthday was scheduled for the following month.
Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly, who played PJ and Duncan in Byker Grove at the beginning of their careers, tweeted on Sunday, “We are so immensely saddened by the news of Dale’s passing.
Even though he was a Denton ‘Burner’, the Byker ‘Grovers” archenemy, he was the nicest of men.
“A tragic loss at such a young age,” they added. RIP Dale. Sleep well bonny boy.”
His sibling told the news agency, in response to the celebrity duo’s tribute,
“That’s so sweet.
“I vaguely recall meeting them when we were both children. He [Dale] was in Byker Grove, but he did not blind one of them in reality.
Meeks, who was born in South Shields, was a film and stage sensation who appeared in The Producers, Chicago, and A Christmas Carol, as well as a production of Love Never, Dies in the West End.
In Emmerdale, his character, the affable fishmonger Simon, had a romantic relationship with Nicola King (played by Nicola Wheeler) but departed the fictional Yorkshire village to begin a new life in Costa Rica.
Meeks won ITV’s Stars in Their Eyes Celebrity Special as a singer alongside fellow Emmerdale actor Mark Charnock as the Blues Brothers.
The previous week, he appeared in a minor role on The Hunt For Raoul Moat on ITV.
On Sunday, a member of his family verified his passing on Facebook.
“So unbelievably sad,” the post proclaimed. “Brother-in-law, mucca, sidekick, and the BEST companion a lad could have ever desired. RIP Dale Meeks. There is so much less to chuckle about now that you’re not here to share it.”
“Thanks to everyone for sharing such lovely messages and memories,” the message continued.
In these chaotic, heartbreaking final hours, Dale’s friends’ support has been so immensely strong that I can only stand in awe.
Meeks has also appeared in Casualty, Inspector George Gently, and the Tracey Beaker spinoff The Dumping Ground.
Nick Miles, who portrays Jimmy King on Emmerdale, tweeted,
“Such tragic news. He was a charming and generous man. RIP.”
Former Coronation Street actor and Family Fortunes host Les Dennis, who co-starred with Meeks in pantomime at the Sunderland Empire, expressed his condolences, stating,
“He was such a talented performer and a pleasure to be around. His family and associates are in his thoughts.
The theater tweeted its own remembrance of the actor, stating, “Dale has appeared on our stage numerous times, but most memorably for us, he starred in Cinderella in 2007, our centennial year. His colleagues and family are in our thoughts.”
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