Channel 4’s Brookside star leaves staggering amount in his will after dying last year aged 68
BROOKSIDE star Dean Sullivan has left a huge sum in his will after his tragic death from cancer.
The Channel 4 legend – who starred as Jimmy Corkhill in the Liverpudlian soap – died in November 2023 aged 68.
Probate documents seen by The Sun show he bequeathed £660,000, including properties, bank accounts and royalties from re-runs of the show, to his sister Joy.
The will, signed off only a day before he died, also told of his wish to be an organ donor – helping others in need of life-saving transplants.
His total worth was £757,000, but nearly £100k was spent on settling mortgages, paying lawyers and his funeral – attended by a dozen co-stars.
Sullivan was the longest-serving cast member on Brookside despite only signing up for a six-episode run as recurring character Corkhill.
The show ran from 1982 as one of Channel 4’s first original productions to 2003, when it was axed after a decade of falling ratings.
His character Jimmy battled a brutal drug and booze addiction during the show’s run, developing an obsession with cleaning, and selling his daughter’s toys for 10p each.
Sullivan attempted to purchase the show’s custom-built set to revive it in 2008, but it was ultimately sold to developers who transformed the street’s homes into luxury detached properties.
He paired his run on the show with a string of reality TV ventures, including last year’s series of BBC hit Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.
Several of the episodes aired after his death from prostate cancer, which he had battled since 2018.
TV legend Les Dennis led tributes after his death, writing: “So terribly sad to hear that lovely Dean Sullivan has died.
“I did a short stint on Brookside and he welcomed me with open arms.
“A lovely, funny, charming man. He’s left us far too soon.”
Dean’s agent this morning revealed he had died peacefully following a short illness.
A statement read: “To millions he was and very much still is remembered as ‘Jimmy’, to family and friends he was ‘Dino’.
“Dean’s family wants to thank Arrowe Park Hospital for their unwavering and consistent support.
“We ask that you respect their privacy in their time of grief.”
Dean had been due to appear in a Southport production of Jack And The Beanstalk from December 7 – but he pulled out on November 17.
The Atkinson Theatre said: “There has been a change to the line-up for this year’s Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime.
“Dean Sullivan will no longer be performing in the role of Fleshcreep, as previously advertised and the role will now be played by Mark Paterson.”
After Brookside, Dean starred in the sitcom Terry Across The Mersey and hosted a daily radio show.
In 2019, Dean revealed he had battled prostate cancer but was later given the all-clear.
GRANGE HILL
Speaking to The Mirror at the time, he said: “I remember being a bit shell shocked really, because even though we know these days that one in three of us will be diagnosed with cancer of some sort, you never think it will be you.”
Dean’s cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
In February 2023, Dean told Metro he wasn’t ruling out a revival of Brookside, adding: “I think it could work even more so these days because one of the big initial storylines, the Grants were a true working-class family.
“I think there would be a massive appetite for it.”
Brookside, the brainchild of Grange Hill creator Phil Redmond, launched in November 1982, with its houses situated in a real cul-de-sac – part of a housing estate in West Derby, Liverpool.
The show launched the careers of dozens of high-profile actors, including Amanda Burton, Claire Sweeney and Anna Friel.
The last episode was filmed in September 2003 and aired in November of the same year – and it was Jimmy Corkhill’s face that last filled the screen.
Sullivan said at the time: “I will miss it but I won’t miss my life being completely controlled by my answer machine. It’s rather like being released from prison.
“Last week I started growing my sideburns and I’ve never been able to do that before.”
Sullivan was a two-time British Soap Awards winner and had roles in other TV dramas, including BBC‘s Doctors and ITV‘s The Royal.
Screenwriter Jonathan Harvey hailed Dean Sullivan’s Brookside character as “iconic” as he paid tribute.
Harvey, who is a writer for Coronation Street, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I do love a soap icon, and they didn’t come more iconic than Jimmy Corkhill.
“What terribly sad news. Beloved actor Dean Sullivan has passed away. My thoughts are with his many friends and family xx”