Coronation Street star John Savident has died aged 86, it has been confirmed.
The actor was known for his booming voice when he played butcher Fred Elliott in the ITV soap.
Fred is well remembered by fans because his girlfriend Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) declared her love for him just as he was set to marry Bev Unwin (Susie Blake).
A statement from his agent to the PA news agency said: “We are sad to announce the death of actor John Savident, who died on Wednesday 21 February. He was a beloved husband and father of two children and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.'
In 1994, Savident hit the cobbles and quickly became a fan favorite.
Coronation Street star John Savident has died aged 86, it has been confirmed
The actor was known for his booming voice when he played butcher Fred Elliott in the ITV soap
His storylines revolved around his disastrous love life, including three marriages and several failed proposals.
A secret son, Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold), also came onto the show and the two later developed a close bond while working together as butchers.
Savident's character was killed off in 2006, suffering a stroke on the day he was supposed to marry Bev (Susie Blake). Its final episode was watched by 11 million viewers.
The actor is survived by his wife Rona Hopkinson and their two children.
As well as his work in Coronation Street, Savident appeared in several stage shows and appeared in shows such as Holby City and The Bill.
He had a small role in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 classic A Clockwork Orange as conspirator Dolin.
Savident also made an appearance in the 1995 Othello adaptation, starring Laurence Fishburne as the title character.
The actor experienced a turbulent time in his personal life when he was stabbed in the neck by a man he met in a gay bar in December 2000.
The actor is survived by his wife Rona Hopkinson and their two children
A statement from his agent to the PA news agency said: “We are sad to announce the death of actor John Savident, who died on Wednesday 21 February. He was a beloved husband and father of two children.”
Michael Smith, 30, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court at the time for an unrelated robbery.
Smith, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, was jailed after being convicted of attacking Savident.
He had overpowered the burly actor and held a knife to his throat as he threatened him: “I bet you've never met a schizo.”
Savident had met Smith at the Gay Village in Manchester after he turned up in person for World AIDS Day on the evening of November 30, and invited him home to talk about theater.
The pair allegedly chatted in the star's apartment until the early hours of the morning before Smith attacked Savident in his bedroom.
But Smith claimed that “discussing the theater” was merely a euphemism for sex and that he attacked Savident in self-defense after he made sexual advances toward him.
Giving evidence during the week-long trial, Savident described how he had made his way to Napoleon's Bar – Manchester's most traditional gay bar – to meet the owner, a friend for about 17 years.
The actor said he was approached by Smith, who claimed to be an acting student, and the two chatted for up to three hours.
Savident (left) also appeared in the 1995 Othello adaptation
Savident's character was killed off in 2006, suffering a stroke on the day he was supposed to marry Bev (Susie Blake). Its final episode was watched by 11 million viewers
When the bar closed, he invited Smith back to his apartment near the Granada Studios complex where “Coronation Street” is filmed to continue the conversation.
But he told the court that when he went to his bedroom to plug in his mobile phone to charge, he was pushed face down into his bed with the knife in front of him.
“I was totally surprised,” Savident said. “Suddenly I felt someone come up behind me and spin me around so I was face down on the bed, and then I felt a stabbing sensation in my throat.”
The actor added: “He said to me something like, 'I bet you've never met a schizo,' which was actually quite scary.”
Smith demanded valuables and the keys to Savident's classic Morgan sports car. However, a fight ensued and the actor's neck was pierced twice.
Although one of the wounds was only an inch wide and deep, it missed the main artery in Savident's neck by less than an inch and cut directly through a small blood vessel, causing Savident to bleed profusely.
The Guernsey-born actor lost around two liters of blood as he lay on his bed while Smith searched his home.
“It was like a scene from Bates Motel,” he told police, referring to the hotel scene in Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho.
As Smith walked down the stairs to Savident's garage, the star stumbled to his front door and locked his attacker out before calling emergency services.
“I was stabbed,” he told the operator.
“Where were you stabbed?” He was asked before answering: “I don’t know, but I’m dying.”
But even though he felt weak and feared for his life, Savident still pleaded with the operator: “You have to keep this out of the newspapers.”
He added: “I'm John Savident.” “I play Fred Elliott in Coronation Street.”
Savident held his head in his hands as the court heard how he panicked when Smith returned but, unable to get in, he soon gave up and fled.
The actor fainted shortly after letting police into his home. He was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where he was treated and discharged that afternoon.
Smith was arrested that morning in the Canal Street area of Manchester, his clothes soaked in Savident's blood.
He was accused of wounding Savident with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and stealing his wallet, credit cards, a silver money clip and cash, a Jorge Jensen watch and ring, keys and an invitation to Coronation Street's 40th birthday party to have stolen.
At the end of the week-long trial at Manchester Crown Court, the jury took little more than two hours to find him guilty on both charges.
Judge Harold Singer, who sentenced Smith to seven years in prison for the attack on the soap star, said Savident could have bled to death if the knife had severed a major blood vessel.
He added that the sentences Smith had received in the past – he had more than 60 previous convictions – had been “somewhat confusing”.
In 1994, Smith was sentenced to 11 months in prison for robbing someone after tying them up and holding a knife to their throat. The following year he was sentenced to four years in prison for another robbery with knife.