Emmerdale fans were left heartbroken tonight after the death of a much loved character was announced.
Laurel told the village that Sandy Thomas had died watching The Great Escape on TV.
Laurel got the news via a phone call and then had to tell her children, with Arthur taking it particularly badly.
She told the crying children: "His heart just stopped he was 86, it was peaceful, it was just his time."
And Arthur stormed off to his dad's grave, where he told Jimmy that he was a "terrible person."
And Emmerdale fans were also saddened by the news.
Nathan said: "Sandy was loved and so was the actor who played him lovely tribute to Sandy and Freddie Jones."
Rebekah Irvin said: "You will be missed Sandy just like we still miss Ashley a lovely mention / tribute to the late Freddie Jones."
And John David said: "RIP sandy #Emmerdale Freddie Jones was a much loved and forever remembered actor."
Sandy was played by actor Freddie Jones, who died aged 91 in July 2019, a year after he left the ITV soap.
Actor Freddie made his last appearance on Emmerdale in February 2018 and, in one of his final interviews, gave the reason as to why he'd decided to leave.
He told the Radio Times: "It’s about the balance of my life. The company generously offered me another 12 months. But I just thought, ‘I have no idea what I’m going to do in another bloody year!’ The drama that Ashley’s death [Jones’s screen son, played by John Middleton] gave me last year was monumental.
“But that’s gone now. I travel three hours by car, book into a hotel and then get up the next day to say maybe three sentences. And then do a three-hour journey back. I can’t justify staying, even though Emmerdale was very generous in asking me to.”
