Sam Gannon portrayed Kev, the coachman in a horse-drawn carriage, on Emmerdale, and shared scenes with Charity Dingle.

Sam Gannon, a former Emmerdale actor, died unexpectedly while traveling in the United States, according to his family.

Gannon, who portrayed Kev on the long-running ITV soap opera in 2019, was visiting family in Willows, California.

His passing is not viewed as suspicious.

His mother, Angela Gannon, stated that she had last spoken to her son on Monday and described his passing as a “complete and utter shock.”

In addition, she told the BBC that a congenital cardiac defect had “reared its ugly head” in recent months.

She elaborated: “You simply do not anticipate these things to occur, especially to a 31-year-old young man who was enjoying the time of his life. Up in the highlands, he was having a fantastic time shooting tin cans and erecting barns for horses.”

In Emmerdale, Gannon’s character was a horse-drawn carriage coachman who shared scenes with Charity Dingle, portrayed by Emma Atkins.

Amy Kelly, his sister, eulogized him by stating, “He genuinely cared for others and had a sensitive soul.”

His relatives stated that “he would be deeply missed by those who knew him.”

The Yorkshire-born performer was mostly a stage actor and had previously performed with Northumberland Theatre Company and Gobbledigook Theatre.

He had also featured alongside John Thomson in the television series Tales of Bacon and the short film Talking with Angels.

The Northumberland Theatre Company was “devastated” to learn of his passing and compared him to “a human Duracell bunny with boundless vitality.”

He has also been hailed as a genuinely nice young man, a fantastic human being, and a good friend to many.

Gannon, a professional pianist, guitarist, and bassist, had also taught music for over a decade.

A crowdsourcing website has been established to generate funds for the return of his body to Selby, North Yorkshire.

With a goal of £17,000, of which more than half has been reached in just a few days, any additional funds raised will be donated to a UK charity supporting young theatre.