Bill Treacher, who played Arthur Fowler in EastEnders, has died at the age of 92, as confirmed by his family.
He was one of the first to be cast in the BBC soap and played a starring role in the first ever episode in February 1985.
In a statement, his family said he had “been declining for some time”, as reported by the BBC.
“Bill was a brilliant actor and a wonderful husband and father, plus a very fine human being. He will be hugely missed,” they added.
A spokesperson for EastEnders said: “It is with great sadness that we learnt of the passing of Bill Treacher. As one of our original cast members, Bill created a much loved character in Arthur Fowler and, alongside Wendy Richard, they created an iconic family in the Fowlers who still remain at the heart of the show.
“Bill left EastEnders in 1996 so it is a true testament to both he, and the character that he created in Arthur, that he is still thought of so fondly. Bill will always be remembered for his charm, sense of humour – with a smile that lit up the room – and more importantly as a family man who was devoted to his wife and children.
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“Bill will forever be held in great affection by everyone at EastEnders and all those that loved watching him.”
Co-star Letitia Dean, who plays Sharon Watts in EastEnders, shared via the BBC: “Bill really was the life and soul of the set. As an actor, he was meticulous and he went to great lengths to portray Arthur, from the smallest scenes to the heartbreaking stories. Bill was an utter professional, a wonderful man.”
Ian Beale actor Adam Woodyatt commented: “So many memories of working with Bill, most of them involving him making us corpse. He would get this twinkle in his eye, you’d start laughing and he never got the blame. I used to love it when he was trying to remember his lines in rehearsal and he would just blunder and bluster until the correct word came out.”
Arthur was involved in a fight and was released but later suffered from a brain haemorrhage and died in hospital.
As well as EastEnders, Treacher enjoyed a successful career, starring in Casualty and The Bill.