Coronation Street actor Antony Cotton has shared a heartfelt tribute following the death of his friend and former colleague Matthew Owens, who passed away on July 7 at just 38 years old.

The actor, who portrays Sean Tully in the ITV soap, attended Owens’ funeral service at Stafford Crematorium Chapel on Tuesday, July 22.

Cotton posted a photograph of the funeral’s order of service on Instagram, which displayed Owens’ dates as “8th May 1987-7th July 2025”.

The emotional tribute comes after 13 years of friendship between the two men, who first met when Owens worked as a fire safety advisor on the soap’s set.

Owens worked as a firefighter at Cannock Fire Station whilst also operating a company that supplied fire safety training, extras and props to television productions including the BBC and ITV.

His connection to Coronation Street began when he provided fire safety expertise for a stunt sequence on the programme 13 years ago.

Cotton described his late friend as “a really, really nice lad” in his Instagram tribute, noting that Owens was “a much loved son, brother, dad, colleague and partner.”

The 38-year-old leaves behind his partner Amy and his 11-year-old son Freddie.

Fire stations throughout Staffordshire lowered their flags to half-mast as a mark of respect for their colleague.

In his Instagram post, Cotton wrote: “Today was a very hard day for so many people, especially Matt’s family. I still can’t quite get my head round it, to be honest.”

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He continued: “We met when he did the fire safety for a stunt block at Coronation Street, 13 years ago and we’ve been friends ever since.”

Cotton added: “He was also a quiet and humble, solid friend. I’ll miss hearing from you Matt, out of the blue sometimes, but always with a smile. You are at rest now, no more worries Matty Boy.”

The post prompted an outpouring of condolences from fans and colleagues, with many expressing their sympathy for Owens’ family and friends.

Owens played a significant role in creating one of Coronation Street’s most dramatic storylines in 2013, when he coordinated the fire sequences for The Rovers Return pub blaze.

He spent three weeks on set, working alongside the cast and crew to ensure the realistic portrayal of the devastating fire that trapped characters Stella Price and Sunita Alahan.

Owens also trained actor Tony Hirst, who played Paul Kershaw, in performing a proper fireman’s lift for the scenes.

Reflecting on the experience at the time, Owens said: “It’s all a bit surreal being there on the set and on camera.

“At one point we were standing outside The Rovers Return, just watching it burn.”