Coronation Street icon Alan Rothwell dies aged 89

Coronation Street star Alan Rothwell has died at the age of 89.

The actor, who is also known for his role in Brookside, portrayed original cobbles character David Barlow – brother of Street legend Ken and son of Ida and Frank – during the 1960s, making his debut in the ITV soap’s very first episode.

The news of his passing was revealed by Coronation Street, whose official social media account posted on X (formerly Twitter) to pay tribute to the legendary star.

‘We’re very sorry to hear of Alan Rothwell’s passing and extend our sincerest condolences to his family at this very sad time,’ read a statement.

‘He created an iconic and memorable character in David Barlow and will forever be remembered as one of the original cast members of Coronation Street.’

Alan was born in 1937 in Oldham, Lancashire.

No stranger to the world of soap having played Jimmy Grange in The Archers, he landed the role of his career in 1960, taking on the part of David Barlow in Tony Warren’s Coronation Street upon its TV debut.

Alan played David on and off across eight years. He was initially a regular cast member – starring in the primetime soap between December 1960 and June 1961 – before being written out in the latter year.

David would stage a return for sporadic appearances in both 1963 and 1964, before becoming a mainstay once more until his exit in 1968.

The character was famously very different from Ken, who had a love of literature. David pursued a career in football – though he would later be forced to retire after sustaining an injury during a match.

David was killed off off-screen two years after his last appearance.

Away the cobbles, Alan would go on to appear in a number of other soaps. After playing a community lawyer in Brookside shortly after its debut in 1985, he would land the role of Nicholas Black in the Channel 4 soap for a year.