Copyright manchestereveningnews
Former EastEnders star Ross Kemp announced that his father had died aged 88-years-old in a heartbreaking tribute. The 61-year-old rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. His other roles include Graham Lodsworth in Emmerdale and Detective Inspector Monk in Birds of a Feather. On Wednesday (October 29), Ross took to his social media as he wrote a heartbreaking tribute to his dad, John, describing him as his "role model". Sharing a snap of his dad while on holiday, the star penned: "John Kemp 1937 - 2025. Served his country, served his community served his family. My hero. Love you always Dad." In a black and white picture of John in his army uniform, Ross added: "Burying my Dad, tomorrow. My hero, my role model and a great dancer!" His EastEnders co-stars were quick to send their love, as Patsy Palmer wrote: "Sending love to you & your family." and James Farrah echoed: "Mate. What beautiful words. For a beautiful bloke." Coronation Street actress Lucy-Jo Hudson also commented: "So sorry to hear your sad loss x". Ross arrived back in Walford for the BBC show's 40th anniversay. At the time he shared: "Kate Phillips [BBC Controller of Entertainment] asked me to do the 40th anniversary documentary, and I was very thankful. "It was weird going back, but amazing to see so many familiar faces, people I’d worked with since 1989. It’s a home from home. It was great working with Steve again. And with Paul, Letitia, Patsy – they were the four I worked with most. "I’ve been very lucky to be able to go off around the world and make documentaries. But it’s also quite nice to be there." Earlier this year, Ross paid tribute to his on-screen mum Dame Barbara Windsor, as he gushed: "Oh, Barbara’s never far away. I’ve got a picture of her in my office and I speak to Scott [Mitchell], her widower, on a pretty frequent basis. "I had a very close relationship with her. I wrote her a eulogy and spoke it at her funeral. She was a very special person. "And it’s interesting that there’s a lot of people who often fade away. She doesn’t seem to have faded away that much, does she?"
