The legendary character of Brookside, “Jimmy Corkhill,” played by Dean Sullivan, died last month at the age of 68 due to his short-term illness, probably due to prostate cancer, which he had been diagnosed with since 2018. The legend has been bid farewell by his friends and family at the Liverpool Parish Church.
In the presence of his co-actors from the show, Sullivan was laid to rest in a classical horse-drawn carriage at a funeral following his arrival at the church. Even 20 years after the soap went off the air, actors from the fictional Brookside reunited on the forever farewell of the long-lasting character of the show.
The reunion of Brookside stars at the funeral of Jimmy Corkhill, aka Dean Sullivan
The highly praised Liverpool actor and director Dean Sullivan who became popular after his appearance on the soap opera Brookside as Jimmy Corkhill had his funeral ceremony at the Liverpool Parish Church, and most of the stars from the long-running show were present there to bid farewell to the legend.
Prior to the funeral of Sullivan, Mick Johnson actor Emrick made a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) that said, “Today we say goodbye to our college friend, a wonderful actor… known affectionately to millions as “Jimmy Corkhill.”
Apart from Sullivan’s offscreen family, his onscreen (Jimmy’s) family was also spotted at the funeral, which was Sue Jenkins, who played the role of Jimmy’s wife Jackie, Jimmy’s daughter Lindsey, played by Claire Sweeney, and his brother Billy, played by John McArdle. The other cast members that were present at Sullivan’s funeral were Michael Starke, Louis Emrick, and Vince Earl, along with Sir Phil Redmond, the creator of the show.
Sheila Grant, played by Sue Johnston in the soap and later starred in The Royal Family, was present at the funeral and paid her tribute to the actor by reading the lyrics of the Beatles song “In My Life,” followed by a blowing kiss towards Sullivan’s coffin, and quoted it with “Goodbye, darling, sleep well.”
Sullivan’s sister, Joy Boyce, while addressing her emotions, said, “He was a Liverpool character and even 20 years after the show, he’d be recognized wherever he went,” and as she paid tribute to her brother, she added, “He will be missed beyond belief by all his family and friends; he was intelligent and articulate, and so many sought him out because of his wise advice and support. “
Suzzane Collins, who played the role of Nikki Shadwick in Brookside, talked about Sullivan outside the church, where she mentioned that she had met him when she was 19 and had just joined Brookside. The actress also added, “He was king of the close; he ruled the school; he was just Mr. Brookside: everywhere we went, we’d hear ‘Jimmy!’ and he loved it, and he should have, because he was iconic.”
McArdle, who played the role of Jimmy’s elder brother, said he has “happy memories” from working with him and also added, “The public loved him. He was Brookside, really; he was in it for 17 years, longer than anybody that’s been in it.”
Sullivan’s coffin had arrived at the Liverpool Parish Church in a horse-drawn carriage along with floral tributes with the tags “Deano” and “Brother.” Sullivan’s fog Billy, a miniature schnauzer, also joined his mourning in the church.
The Liverpool anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was being played when the coffin of the legend was carried to the church, following which The Song Me Merseyside choir sang “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.”
Originally, Dean Sullivan was supposed to be cast in the soap opera Brookside for just six episodes until his character became popular among the audience, and he remained a part of the show till the end of it.
The soap opera Brookside aired in 1982 and got off air in 2003 after its final episode aired in November 2003 with around two million viewers. Sullivan had joined the show in 1986 as Jimmy Corkhill and stayed in it for 17 years until its end.
