ITV Coronation Street's Andy Whyment heartbroken as he leads tributes to beloved on-screen dad

Coronation Street star Andy Whyment has been left heartbroken by the death of his former on-screen father, Bernard Hill. Andy, who is beloved for his portrayal of Kirk Sutherland in the iconic soap, shared a touching tribute on Instagram to Bernard, who passed away on Sunday (May 5).

He posted an old photo with Bernard, captioning it: "My first major speaking part was on a show called Once Upon a Time in the North. It was a 6 part series and Bernard Hill played my dad, sad to hear of his passing today RIP Bernard." The post quickly attracted condolences from fans and colleagues alike, with one fan noting: "Gosh you look so young there. Very sad to learn that Bernard Hill has died - loved in Boys From the Blackstuff as Yosser Hughes, and then Shirley Valentine."

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Reacting to the flood of sympathy, Andy reflected: "I was 11 when we filmed it, it was nice to work with such a great actor with me being very young, very sad he's passed away." His mother also joined in the tributes, commenting: "RIP Bernard so sad," to which Andy replied: "It's very sad isn't it mum."

Bernard's death came just before his new project, The Responder, was set to premiere on BBC One. He was also scheduled to appear at Liverpool Comic Con with fellow 'The Lord of the Rings' stars Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan.

Hill won numerous fans for his portrayal of Theoden, King of Rohan in Peter Jackson's critically acclaimed film series. On hearing the devastating news of Hill's demise, Comic Con organisers released a poignant message saying: "We're heartbroken to hear the news of Bernard passing. A great loss. Thinking of his family at this very sad time, and wishing them a lot of strength."

Born in Manchester a remarkable 79 years ago, Hill went on to forge an incredible career following his rise to fame playing Yosser in Alan Bleasdale's influential BBC drama 'Boys from the Blackstuff' back in 1982, where he famously coined the phrase "Gizza job".

From there, he featured as a judgemental husband of Pauline Collins in the hilarious hit 'Shirley Valentine', who ultimately is left by her for a sun-soaked Greek love story. Many might also recognise him for his role as Edward J Smith, the ill-fated captain of the infamous 'Titanic'.

More recent acting credits include the resentful Duke of Norfolk in the 2015 adaptation of 'Wolf Hall', Father Robert Graves in dark crime series 'Unforgotten' and Kensingtons caustic Tom Carson, father to Chris (Martin Freeman), in the blockbuster TV series 'The Responder', which was his final role before his sad passing.