EMMERDALE legend Clive Hornby was synonymous with the soap after spending 28 years as lothario farmer Jack Sugden.
Fans loved him for his flat cap, plaid shirts and womanising ways. During his three decades in the Dales, Clive’s marriages were rocked by tragedy and infidelity as he struggled with temptation.
After patching things up with third wife Diane, having been the victim of infidelity for a change, Clive was forced to take time away from the soap due to illness. During this time the actor sadly died.
Show bosses wrote Jack out of the soap with the character having a heart attack in Spain while visiting mum Annie, leaving his Dales co-stars and viewers devastated.
But there was much more to Clive away from the screen than his unlucky in love alter-ego. We take a look at some of the details you might not know.
MUSIC MAN
We’ve all heard of The Beatles, the most iconic music group of all time. But emerging from the Liverpool scene at the same time were the lesser known The Dennisons featuring Clive on drums.
Between 1961 and 67 the Merseybeat group had moderate success with singles Be My Girl and Walking the Dog while signed to legendary label Decca.
While their legacy is largely forgotten now, in their heyday Cavern Club DJ Bob Wooler said: “The Dennisons have created the biggest impact in Liverpool since The Beatles.”
TRUE ROMANCE
When Jack returned to the Dales in 1980 it wasn’t long before he reunited with former flame Pat [Helen Weir].
The pair soon tied the knot but their relationship was left in tatters when Jack had an affair with news reporter Karen Moore.
After receiving an ultimatum, Jack chose to stay with Pat and the pair went on to have son Andy. However, just a year later, Jack’s world was turned upside down when Pat was killed in a car crash leaving him a single parent.
Clive’s connection to Helen didn’t end there though. Behind the scenes the pair had struck up a romance and they married for real the year she left the soap.
They also welcomed a son called Thomas, who Clive doted on.
The relationship lasted 14 years until they divorced in 2000. In an interview with the Mirror that same year, Clive said of his connection with his son: “Tom and I are mates. We do everything together. I cuddle him all the time, and kiss him when I say goodnight.
“He is 14, I know, and he probably wonders why but I don’t care. It is important to show your love. We talk as well, all the time.”
Following Clive’s death, Tom received £324,000 in a trust.
HEALTH BATTLES
Clive was seriously injured in 1997 while filming a scene in which he had to push a tractor. The actor’s lung collapsed and led to an eight-day stay in hospital, something he said he never wanted to experience again. It even prompted him to quit cigars, although he continued smoking cigarettes.
He vowed never to leave the soap when rumours circulated about his health following his absence from the show in 2008, but he would eventually die from cancer aged just 63.
Cast members past and present turned out in their droves to say an emotional farewell to Clive at his funeral at Rawdon Crematorium in Leeds.
