Freddie Jones has died.
The ‘Emmerdale’ actor – who played Sandy Thomas in the soap from 2005 to 2018 – passed away on Tuesday (09.07.19) evening at the age of 91 following a short illness.
His agent, Lesley Duff, said: "It is with great sadness that I can confirm the death of Freddie Jones.
"He passed away on the evening of July 9 after a short illness.
"Freddie was a much loved and admired actor, known for his triumphs in classical theatre, film and television. He will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him and most especially his family."
Freddie – who also appeared in movies including ‘The Elephant Man’, ‘Dune’ and ‘Wild At Heart’ and 1992 TV series ‘On The Air’ – had three sons with wife Jennifer, including actor Toby Jones.
Freddie bowed out of his ‘Emmerdale’ role as Sandy in February 2018, but admitted afterwards that he wasn’t technically retiring because actors pass away rather than call it a day.
He said: "Actors don’t retire – they die. The story goes that Sir John Gielgud, at the age of 96, rang Maggie Smith and said in a deep depression, ‘They’ve forgotten me – they don’t know who I am any more.’
"He apparently added, ‘I’m seriously thinking about changing my agent.’ He then died, so – in some sense – he did."
Sandy left the Emmerdale village for a new life in Australia alongside Maisie, who was played by former ‘Butterflies’ star Wendy Craig.
One of his main storylines saw him become the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of his son Ashley Thomas (John Middleton).
Freddie Jones dead
