RIP Alan Rothwell: ‘Coronation Street’ pays respect to OG cast member

Earlier last month, one of ‘Coronation Street’s original cast members and famed veteran actor Alan Rothwell passed away. He was 89 at the time of his passing. Following the news, the latest episode of the beloved British show shared a touching tribute to one of the OG actors who started it all.

‘Coronation Street’ pays tribute to Alan Rothwell

Nearing the end of the latest episode of ‘Coronation Street’, fans and netizens alike spotted that the creators of the show had paid their respects to Rothwell with a tribute card. They wrote, “In memory of Alan Rothwell 1937 - 2026”, along with a black and white photograph of him wearing a suit.

It was through the social media account of ‘Coronation Street’ that fans found out that the actor had passed away. In the post, they had stated, “We’re very sorry to hear of Alan Rothwell’s passing and extend our sincerest condolences to his family at this very sad time. He created an iconic and memorable character in David Barlow and will forever be remembered as one of the original cast members of Coronation Street.”

William Roache, who played his on screen brother, had also posted an emotional tribute for his old friend at the time. His post had read, “He and I worked together on the very first episodes of Coronation Street, which was such a wonderful time, I got to know him well over the years, he was a very good actor and a delightful man. I send my thoughts and condolences to his family."

About Alan Rothwell and his role in ‘Coronation Street’

Rothwell has lived a long and successful life as an actor. In ‘Coronation Street’, which to date is known as one of his most beloved roles, he played one of the originally introduced characters, David Barlow. He played Ken Barlow’s brother in the show and was introduced as one of the main cast in the first episode itself. He remained on the show from 1960 to 1968.

He was born in Oldham, Lancashire, and started his career in soap operas early on. While ‘Coronation Street’ was not one of his first roles, it was definitely the actor’s career defining roles that helped launch him into the industry as a fan favorite face.

Rothwell passed away peacefully on May 14 this year at the hospital after fighting an illness which was never detailed upon by his family. He was 89 years old at the time.