EastEnders actor Tony Caunter, Roy Evans, dies at 88

Actor Tony Caunter, best known for his role as Roy Evans on the BBC soap EastEnders, has died at the age of 88, his family announced. Caunter died peacefully yesterday evening, eight days after the death of his wife of 63 years, Fran, the family said in a statement. He is survived by a daughter, three sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Caunter played Roy Evans from 1994 to 2003, portraying a car dealer who was introduced to Walford as a love interest for Pat Butcher, played by Pam St Clement. The characters later married on screen and the relationship became one of the soap's best-remembered storylines. In his final storyline, the character Roy died in hospital from a stress-induced heart attack after discovering a cover-up related to Pat's relationship, storylines that helped cement the character's prominence in the series.

In a family statement, they said, "It is with enormous sadness that we bring the curtain down on our wonderful and hugely loved father, Tony Caunter." The family thanked staff at Eastbourne District General Hospital for their care during his final hours and paid tribute to Eastbourne Gardens nursing home for its support over the...