Emmerdale legend Steve Halliwell’s moving final social media post as Zak Dingle actor passes away aged 77

EMMERDALE legend Steve Halliwell's moving final social media post has been revealed after he passed away aged 77.

The actor, who played Zak Dingle in the ITV soap, hadn't shared anything to his X/Twitter profile since September 2020.

But his final posts were two stunning scenic photos he took on an early morning walk.

Steve captured the low hanging clouds during a rural stroll in two poignant images.

The atmospheric photos showed a misty day with beautiful hills surrounded by leafy green trees and not a soul in sight.

He captioned the shots: "Pretty morning walking up to seeing clouds in the horizon."

"Stunning..." one fan commented on the images.

"Everything going on in the world disappears when you see views like these ,amazing !!" another wrote at the time.

Since Steve's sad passing, others have since found the post and shared their condolences.

"RIP Steve," one penned under the photos.

The beloved actor spent almost three decades playing head of the Dingle family Zak in the popular ITV soap.

Steve's family confirmed yesterday he had died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones.

They said: "He was making us laugh to the end.

"The most amazing father and grandfather you could ever wish for, family was everything to him.

"We would like to thank the wonderful staff at St James Hospital and the Wheatfield Hospice for their love and kindness in his final days.

"He didn't want sadness, just to rejoice in a life well lived."

The legendary actor had been candid about his struggles with depression and mental health in the past.

In 2003 he admitted himself to rehab to help tackle his issues with alcohol and stepped away from Emmerdale for a brief period.

Speaking to The Mirror in 2014, Halliwell openly spoke about his health journey and said: “There's depression, drinking and having to fight your way out of situations.

"I've lived all those things – and more.”

Despite recovering from his problems with alcohol, past periods of heavy drinking resulted in need for heart surgery in 2018.

He had to take another break from filming the soap to have a pacemaker fitted.