Brookside actor Dean Sullivan has died

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Sullivan starred on the soap between 1986 and 2003.

A statement from his management and family confirmed his death, reading: "To millions he was and very much still is remembered as 'Jimmy', to family and friends he was 'Dino'.

"Dean's family wants to thank Arrowe Park Hospital for their unwavering and consistent support. We ask that you respect their privacy in their time of grief."

In his early years, Sullivan was a member of Liverpool's Epstein Theatre and appeared in Willy's Russell's Breezeblock Park at the Liverpool Playhouse.

Sullivan also featured on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank.

But it was in Brookside that he became a household name across the UK.

 In 1994, Sullivan offered to resign from the series after reading in his scripts that his character was to take ecstasy.

Sullivan is said to have urged producers to kill his character off in an attempt to warn youngsters about the dangers of taking drugs, but his offer was rejected.

Earlier this year it was reported that Sullivan had been fighting against prostate cancer since 2018.

Sullivan is said to have died peacefully following a short illness.

He was 68.