A former Emmerdale actor tragically died while travelling in America as he went to visit his relatives. Sam, who was just 31 when he suddenly passed in 2022, had a heart condition from birth which his mum had said at the time had “reared its ugly head”. The actor had played Kev in the soap in 2019 among other acting projects, but had gone away in 2022 to see relatives in California. His mother had said at the time that he was having a “great time” and was up in the mountains, shooting tin cans and building stables for horses.
His mother Angela said at the time: “You just don’t expect these things to happen, especially to a young man of 31 who was having the time of his life.” It was described at the time as an “absolute, total shock”. He was in the process of building up a career in acting and had landed a spot on two TV shows, Emmerdale, and Tales of Bacon.
As the news spread of Sam’s death, family, friends and TV fans shared their support to the family and helped in aiding a crowdfunding platform to help bring his body home from the US and have a funeral. £15,000 was raised by 504 donations, many of which were anonymous.
At the time of his death, his partner of five-and-a-half years, Zoe Hakin, said: “It’s been amazing to see how many people loved him, and the support and the memories people had of Sam. He was vibrant and funny. He was the best part of my life and to anyone who met him I think they’ll agree.”
His loved ones stated he had an “endless supply of energy and love” and would be missed greatly.
He was described as a “true performer” and after the fundraising took place, his loved ones confirmed that any extra money outside of what was required to return him home would be donated to a charity supporting youth theatre.
NTC Theatre also paid tribute to him after their ongoing support with the actor and said he was “always fantastic” when he appeared on stage and was constantly delighting audiences with his “charm, wit and wonderful musical abilities”.
Sam appeared alongside Charity Dingle when he was in Emmerdale, acting as a horse-drawn carriage coachman. His scenes took place while he was supporting Charity who was pouring a bottle down the drain, with the clip appearing in his showreel that was later submitted by his family.
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