Emmerdale halted production yesterday as a mark of respect to a crew member who tragically passed away.
Emmerdale released a statement where they confirmed the news and offered condolences to the family of their colleague, who they did not name.
The ITV soap made a statement to Digital Spy stating that: “We can confirm an Emmerdale crew member has very sadly passed away.
“Our sincerest and heartfelt condolences go out to the family, friends and loved ones of our colleague.
“As a mark of respect, we have stood filming down for today. We’d like to abide by the family’s wishes for privacy at this very sad time and we’d ask the media to be respectful of this.”
Production on the soap was shut down earlier this year due to members of the team testing positive for the coronavirus.
A spokesperson at the time said: ‘We paused filming on Emmerdale last week due to some members of the team testing positive for Covid 19.
“We’ve carried out proper track and trace measures on those cases and undertook intensive cleaning of the production building, whilst reinforcing the health and safety protocols we have in place.”
Emmerdale has previously dedicated episodes to memorable people from the cast and crew who have passed away.
Last year they paid an on-air tribute to Cliff Perry, a props manager who had worked on the soap for years with a title card memorialising him.
Prior to the episode airing, Sam Dingle actor James Hooton shared more information, saying he would be “raising a glass” in his memory.
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He tweeted: “There’s a dedication at the end of tonight’s @emmerdale for one of our own who has sadly passed away.
“#cliffperry was a props man on Emmerdale who started work at YTV [Yorkshire Television] in 1979. He will be sadly missed by all! I for one will be raising a glass. Rip Cliff.”
In December 2019 the popular soap also commemorated the late Sheila Mercier who played Annie Sugden, who passed away at the age of 100.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
