Emmerdale star Andy Devine, who played Shadrach Dingle in the soap for 10 years, died after an accidental fall, a coroner has said.

The 79-year-old actor, whose real name was Peter Devine, appeared to have “lost his balance resulting in a fall” and died in Southport Hospital in Merseyside on 27 January.

“He was unable to get up until his carers arrived to assist him which was about an hour later,” Sefton Senior Coroner Julie Goulding said.

“Peter had a significant number of serious underlying clinical co-morbidities and notwithstanding all appropriate care and treatment, Peter’s condition deteriorated culminating in his death.”

The coroner added that the medical cause of death was determined as “hospital acquired pneumonia” and the cause of his death was concluded as “accident”.

Devine’s on-screen colleague Liam O’Brien, who played Ethan Blake in the soap for three years, said: “Heartbroken to hear of the passing of an old friend.

“Even sadder that he passed in January and never knew. I was by the sea now when heard the news and Andy Devine was a sailor through and through.

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“Gods rest ye pal. Second star to the right. Straight on ’til morning.”

Four Lives actor Daniel Jillings said: “Such sad news! Often thought about Andy, he was my first drama teacher and a great one. A character both on and off-screen.”

Devine made his Emmerdale debut as Shadrach Dingle, father of Chas and husband of Faith, in 2000.

He left the show in dramatic fashion in 2010, after his character was killed off as a part of an alcohol abuse storyline.

He also played Bernard Thomas in Channel 4’s Queer As Folk, a Draconian Guard in Doctor Who and photographer Jason Ross in Coronation Street in the 1960s.

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