Bill Tarmey (born William Piddington; 4 April 1941 – 9 November 2012)[1] was an English actor and singer, best known for playing Jack Duckworth in the soap opera Coronation Street.

Following the death of his father William in 1944[2] whilst driving an ambulance at the Battle of Arnhem during the Second World War,[3] his mother Lilian remarried, to Robert Cleworth.

Despite suffering a serious heart attack in 1976 and a stroke in 1977, he was eventually offered the role of Jack Duckworth, a character who would go on to become an institution in British soap operas.

He underwent quintuple bypass surgery in January 1987, and had a pacemaker fitted in June 2002 after suffering a second heart attack,[6] which was used as a storyline in Coronation Street to explain his absence.

[11] In a March 2011 interview with Nigel Pivaro, Tarmey revealed he also had to leave the series because his son Carl had been diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2009.

This one-off release would reach number 16 in the UK singles chart for BMG's Arista label, with Tarmey signing a deal with EMI to record more music, after its success.

[24] In 1995, to commemorate the programme's 35th anniversary, a CD titled The Coronation Street Album was released, featuring cover versions of modern songs and standards by contemporary cast members.

[25] Tarmey appeared as one of the backing vocalists for Bill Waddington, on "The Coronation Street Single" version of Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".