 Stan Richards was last seen in the show on Christmas Eve |
Emmerdale actor Stan Richards, who played Seth Armstrong in the ITV soap for more than 25 years, was laid to rest at his funeral on Friday. His family and soap co-stars were at the hour-long service in Gawber, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
Richards died in his sleep aged 74 on 11 February. A show spokesperson said: "It was an absolutely lovely service, with lots of happy memories of Stan."
Actors Richard Thorp and Chris Chittell gave emotional readings in church.
Other Emmerdale stars at the funeral included Paula Tilbrook, who played his screen partner Betty Eagleton, plus Mark Charnock, Clive Hornby, Steve Halliwell and Leah Bracknell.
Lung problems
The spokesperson said producers had not decided what should happen to Seth in the show.
He was last seen on Christmas Eve sending a message from Australia to Betty.
In real life, Richards had been out of the soap for 15 months because of ill health. He suffered from lung problems including emphysema.
The actor was born and brought up in Barnsley. He started out as a pianist and stand-up comedian, then appeared briefly in Coronation Street before joining Emmerdale in 1978.
His first plotline was intended to last a few weeks - but he celebrated 25 years on the show in 2003. At the time, he said: "I have enjoyed every single minute of it. It's been 25 years of fun."
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