The Kev Townsend actor remembered The Stone Roses star Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield
Chris Coghill took to social media as he remembered The Stone Roses legend(Image: ITV)
Emmerdale star Chris Coghill admitted he’s “struggling to find words” as he reflected on the death of former Stone Roses and Primal Scream star Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield.
The music legend, from Crumpsall in north Manchester, died aged 63, it was confirmed on Thursday, November 20. His brother Greg first confirmed the news on Facebook before tributes came flooding in from fans and from stars across the music world.
Former bandmate Ian Brown took to X (formerly known as Twitter) after the sad news was announced. He posted “rest in peace Mani” alongside a kiss, while Tim Burgess, the lead singer of fellow indie band The Charlatans, said the late musician “never failed to bring a smile to my face”.
Fans of The Stone Roses will know Mani as part of the classic line-up, alongside singer Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire and drummer Alan ‘Reni’ Wren. The news came after he recently announced a 60-date solo tour of the UK which was set to see him answer questions from fans and discuss his time in the iconic bands, including memories and experiences on tour.
After Mani’s death was confirmed, Chris took to Instagram and posted a picture of the pair of them together, sharing that he was “heartbroken” by the news.
Emmerdale co-star Danny Miller, from Stockport, was quick to respond to the post. He said: “Ahhh mate. Horrible innit. All the love pal.” Chris’ ex-wife, TV chef Lisa Faulkner, also responded with a single broken heart emoji.
Chris was the writer behind the film Spike Island which was about The Stone Roses’ 1990 concert. The film is based on the Stone Roses’ seminal gig on Spike Island in Widnes, Cheshire, and follows the story of a group of friends who idolise the band and try to get into the gig, but are faced with problems because they don’t have tickets or a way to get there.
As the star’s funeral took place on Monday (December 22), hundreds gathered to pay their respects one last time. Ian Brown and Bobby Gillespie, as well as Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and Paul Weller, also attended the service at Manchester Cathedral.
Former Manchester United footballers Sir David Beckham and Gary Neville were also there. Fans lined the streets as the funeral cortege went from the star’s home in Heaton Moor in Stockport to Manchester city centre.
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Taking to his Instagram, Chris posted a snap of flowers in a hearse that spelled out “MANI” and penned: “Struggling to find any words to sum up yesterday. Pure love. Always and forever MANICHESTER.”
The news comes after Chris returned to Emmerdale as Kev Townsend after leaving the Dales a few weeks ago. Revenge is at the forefront of Kev’s mind as he tries to separate Robert Sugden and Aaron Dingle for good.
Sending them various threats including smashing Aaron’s windscreen, setting Christmas trees on fire, his behaviour continues to escalate as he’s seen lurking in the bushes with a gun pointing towards Aaron.