Former Hollyoaks actor Kristian Ealey went to sleep with a pain in his arm and didn’t wake up, his former co-star has revealed.
The 38-year-old, who played Matt Musgrove on the Chester -based soap, died suddenly, it emerged yesterday (May 3), promoting a flood of tributes from former co-stars during his time on Hollyoaks, and on Brookside where he also played the same role.
His Brookside co-star Suzanne Collins said Kristian, who was also well known on Liverpool's music scene, had been away working in Italy at the time of his death and that she understood he had gone to sleep with a pain in his arm and had not woken up.
Suzanne, who played Nikki Shadwick in the soap, told our sister paper the Liverpool Echo: “I’m very privileged to have called him a friend.
Related : Tributes to Hollyoaks actor who has died age 38
“There were a gang of the young ones who grew up on the set of Brookside, we called ourselves the Brookie Brat Pack and have an incredible bond.
“We were together nearly every day on set and we socialised out of work together, we became family.”
She added: “It has shocked us all to the core. Kris was full of life, full of smiles and so full of music.”
Kristian appeared in Brookside between 1998 and 2000 and in Hollyoaks from 2000 to 2004, as well as the spin-off Hollyoaks: After Hours.
Hollyoaks production company Lime Pictures said: “Many crew worked with Kristian on both Hollyoaks and Brookside and enjoyed following his musical success after leaving the show.
“The news has been met with shock and sadness on set and everyone’s thoughts are with his family at this time.”
