Stars of Coronation Street past and present have
gathered to pay their respects to Bill Tarmey, who played the soap's Jack
Duckworth for three decades.
In a funeral procession, led by on-screen wife Liz
Dawn, hundreds of family, friends and colleagues packed into the Albion United
Reform Church in Tarmey's hometown of Ashton-under-Lyne, near Manchester.
Fighting back tears, co-star Samia Ghadie, who
plays Maria Connor in the ITV soap, delivered a heartfelt eulogy, saying:
'Thank you Bill for being the light in our lives for all those years and for
bringing so much joy... We love you, we already miss you and we'll never ever
forget you.'
Ta-ra chuck: Actress Elizabeth Dawn, who played Vera Duckworth on
Coronation Street, leads the way at Bill Tarmey's funeral, who played her
onscreen husband for over 30 years
She added: 'He was genuinely one of the most decent
and honourable men you could ever wish to meet.
'Jack and Vera were a truly unforgettable and
formidable partnership, and I doubt we'll ever see that again.
'They were simply iconic and Jack Duckworth will
forever be a true Coronation Street legend.
'On behalf of everyone who works at Coronation
Street and has worked on the programme during its 52 years, and the loyal
viewers who have followed the programme throughout these years - Bill, we
salute you.
Tarmey died in Tenerife on 2 November, aged 71, he
is survived by wife Alma, son Carl and daughter Sara.
Around 700 people packed into the church joining
his wife of 50 years, Ali, and the couple’s two children, Carl and Sara, to say
a final goodbye.
Ghadie added: 'So many of us here will share great
memories of Bill. He made me laugh so much that on occasions I'd be crying with
laughter. He was wise, kind, honest, warm-hearted and had the most generous
spirit.
'In my early days at Corrie he was like a surrogate
dad to me and Alan (Halsall). I'll never forget how he and Liz guided Alan and
I through those first years on the programme.
'In those early days he taught Alan and me how to
be professional and good to others. Some words of wisdom he shared with us that
we still live by are 'Be good to those you meet on the way up as you'll surely
come across them on the way down'. And another of his mantras was 'if I'm not
early, I'm late.''