He was best know for playing businessman Mike Baldwin on one of the longest running soap operas in television history.

British actor Johnny Briggs has died.

A statement from his family says he died peacefully Sunday morning after a long illness.

Briggs was a fixture on Coronation Street for 30-years.  He made his debut in 1976 and remaining a cast member until 2006.  In 2007, Queen Elizabeth made him a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

Johnny Briggs was 85.