Former Coronation Street star Stephen Hancock has died, aged 89.
The Warwickshire-born actor passed away on November 1, according to The Guardian.
Hancock was best known for his eight-year stint as Ernest Gordon Bishop in Coronation Street in the late '60s and '70s.
Ernest's time on the cobbles was dominated by his romance with Emily Bishop, and his professional partnership with the scheming Mike Baldwin.
A salary dispute between Hancock and producers led to Bishop being violently killed off in a shooting in 1978, in what would become one of the soap's most controversial moments.
Hancock also made memorable appearances on UK TV in shows like Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, Sounding Brass and Agatha Christie: Poirot after leaving Coronation Street.
He was married to the actress Jocelyne Page, who died in 2012. The couple had two children, actor-turned-casting director Gemma and actress Phyllida.
Stephen's brother Christopher Hancock - who died in 2004 - achieved soap fame as well, as schemer Charlie Cotton in EastEnders.
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