Coronation Street's Norris Cole has reportedly been killed off after actor Malcolm Hebden quit the ITV soap earlier this year.
The long-running character is said to have been written out of the soap and died off screen following a 27 year stint on the cobbles.
It comes as the cast including Ken Barlow actor Bill Roache and Norris' on-screen ex-wife Marty Taylor, played by Patti Clare, were seen filming funeral scenes in Manchester earlier this week.
Oh no! Coronation Street's Norris Cole has reportedly been killed off after actor Malcolm Hebden quit the ITV soap earlier this year
Malcolm, 81, who first joined the soap in 1994, bid a fond farewell to Norris in January this year as he announced his retirement.
At the time, he had only made a handful of appearances on the cobbles since recovering from a near-fatal heart attack in 2017.
And now it appears that there's no way back for Norris as Weatherfield's beloved busybody is said to have died.
A source told The Sun: 'When Malcolm left the soap he made it clear he would not be returning and bosses took the decision to write him out.
Time to go: The long-running character is said to have been written out of the soap and died off screen following a 27 year stint on the cobbles (actor Malcolm Hebden pictured in 2010)
'Norris was a huge character for Coronation Street and his funeral will be filled with fun and laughter as well as tears.
'Make no doubt about it, this will be a celebration of all of the best moments Norris had on the cobbles. But given his influence and how much he was loved, it is going to be an emotional watch.'
MailOnline have contacted representatives of Coronation Street who've declined to comment.
It follows funeral scenes being filmed by the cast on Wednesday, with the likes of Rula Lenska (Claudia Colby) and Helen Worth (Gail Platt) joining Bill and Patti on set.
Farewell: Malcolm, 81, who first joined the soap in 1994, bid a fond farewell to Norris in January this year as he announced his retirement (pictured as Norris)
Also in attendance were Daniel Brocklebank (Billy Mayhew), Gareth Pierce (Todd Grimshaw) and Tony Maudsley (George Shuttleworth), with Daniel wearing a clerical collar in character as priest Billy while Gareth and Tony were dressed in smart black suits and sunglasses for their roles as undertakers Todd and George.
The pictures sparked speculation that it was the funeral of long-serving character Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls), however some eagle-eyed fans speculated that it was indeed Norris who had died after spotting Patti dressed as Star Wars' Princess Leia.
Fans will remember Norris and Mary dressing as the Star Wars characters during a photoshoot in 2017 in which they pretended to
