Vale: Johnny Briggs

Veteran UK actor Johnny Briggs, best known for Coronation Street has died, aged 85.

A family statement said Briggs died peacefully Sunday morning after a long illness.

Briggs played businessman Mike Baldwin for 30 years. A Cockney clothing factory boss, he became one of the most memorable characters in the show’s fictional town of Weatherfield.

He made his debut on the show in 1976, and remained until 2006. In the early 1980s, his character’s affair with married Deidre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride) gripped Britain and was one of the show’s most popular storylines. Around 12 million viewers tuned in when his character died of a heart attack.

Briggs was appointed an MBE in 2006.

Source: USA Today