Passions actor Bruce French has died at the age of 79, it has been confirmed.

The late actor, best known for his role as Father Lonigan in the NBC soap, passed away due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease on 7th February.

He starred as the priest in over four hundred episodes between 1999 and 2007, continuing the part for another year when it was revived on The 101 Network.

The show followed the lives and loves – as well as various paranormal encounters – of the residents of Harmony, a fictional town in New England.