Emmerdale star Andy Devine, who played Shadrach Dingle in soap for 10 years, died after an accidental fall, a coroner said.
The 79-year-old actor, whose real name was Peter Devine, appeared to have “lost his balance as a result of a fall” and died at Southport Hospital in Merseyside on 27 January.
“He couldn’t get up until his caregivers arrived to help him, an hour later,” said Sefton chief coroner Julie Goulding.
“Peter had a significant number of serious underlying clinical comorbidities and, despite all the proper care and treatment, Peter’s condition deteriorated and culminated in his death.”
The coroner added that the medical cause of death was determined to be “hospital-acquired pneumonia” and the cause of his death was concluded as an “accident.”
Devine’s co-star Liam O’Brien, who played Ethan Blake on soap for three years, said: “Heartbroken to hear of an old friend’s death.
“Even sadder that he died in January and never knew it. He was now by the sea when I heard the news and Andy Devine was a sailor anyway.
“May the gods rest, comrade. Second star on the right. Straight to the morning.”
Four Lives actor Daniel Jillings said: “Such sad news! I often thought of Andy, he was my first theater teacher and a great one. A character both on and off screen.”
Devine debuted in Emmerdale as Shadrach Dingle, Chas’ father and Faith’s husband, in 2000.
He left the show dramatically in 2010, after his character was murdered as part of a story of alcohol abuse.
He also played Bernard Thomas in Channel 4’s Queer As Folk, Draconian Guard in Doctor Who, and photographer Jason Ross in Coronation Street in the 1960s.