Tony Caunter's family has confirmed that the former EastEnders legend has died at the age of 88. In a statement shared with PA, they said: "It is with enormous sadness that we bring the curtain down on our wonderful and hugely loved father, Tony Caunter, who died peacefully yesterday evening, just eight days after his beloved wife of 63 years, Fran, also passed away. Dad was 88 years old. After a long and fulfilling life on and off screen and stage, Tony leaves a daughter and three sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
"He will be missed by all. We would like to thank the NHS staff at Eastbourne District General Hospital for their incredible care during his final hours, and to everyone at Eastbourne Gardens nursing home for the care and compassion they have given dad over the past two months." The statement finished with a request for privacy.
Tony was most known for his role as Roy Evans on EastEnders. The character appeared on the popular soap between 1994 and 2003 and was a love interest for one of the show's most iconic characters, Pat Butcher. The soap couple walked down the aisle in 1996 and remained together until the character was tragically killed off in 2003 after he suffered from a second heart attack.
Away from EastEnders, Tony also appeared in three separate serials of Doctor Who, appearing in 'The Crusade', 'Colony in Space' and 'Enlightenment'. He also appeared in 57 episodes of football drama United! and he also appeared in ITV's police drama The Chief, where he played Deputy Chief Constable Arthur Quine. Scroll down to learn about the star's life away from the screen…
Wife and family
Away from the screen, Tony kept much of his personal life out of the public eye. In 1962, he married Frances Wallace, and the pair remained together until Frances' death just eight days before Tony passed away. During their marriage, the couple welcomed four children, a daughter and three sons. In 2021, the actor was reported as living in Worthing, East Sussex, having moved there with his family.
Tony's children were big supporters of their father, and speaking to The Guardian in 1999, he revealed that his daughter was the brains behind one of Roy's biggest storylines on EastEnders. "My four children were fans of the show before I was," he said. "In fact, it was my daughter Sarah who came up with the idea that Roy was infertile because of the guilt that he was having an affair when his wife went into early labour and died.
"Pam and I and the writers had discussed the impotence storyline a long time before Viagra came along. We had pulled away thinking, 'We can't discuss this too much at 7.30 in the evening.' But the present management was happy to take hold of it. It's given Pat and Roy some of the best storylines yet."