British actor Ian Pepperell, best known for his roles in the TV soap "EastEnders" and long-running Radio 4 drama "The Archers," has died at age 53 after a long illness.
The news was confirmed by the radio show's editor, Jeremy Howe, in a statement to the Independent.
"It is tragic that he died in his prime, we will miss him dearly and our hearts go out to his family and friends and everyone who knew him," he said.
"Ian loved being part of an ensemble, relished the camaraderie and gossip of the Green Room, and had a seemingly effortlessly fine-tuned vocal technique," Howe continued. "Like all the very best radio actors he could think on his feet and change the way he played a scene in the blink of an eye."
Pepperell famously portrayed hotelier Roy Tucker in the "The Archers" for 22 years and featured in over 400 episodes of the radio series. In 1985, he also had a role in BBC's "EastEnders."
Howe noted that Pepperell "created a character who managed to face in two directions simultaneously in almost every scene he played. He captured Roy as both genial and anxious, funny and sad, easy-going and permanently stressed — a man who could hold down with ease a top job, yet who always carried with him Hamlet's sense of failure."
"It all made perfect sense because of Ian's uncanny and laser-guided ability to find humour in the emotional scenes and find pathos in the comedy that he always played so unerringly well," he continued. "Ian had a lot more gas in the tank and was desperate to return to Ambridge once his health permitted."
Pepperell's wife, Nikki, also paid tribute to her husband, writing on social media, "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I must tell you all, that Ian — left this world today — in peace, his way. As I, and all of the closest to him knew he would."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.