Q:Facts: - imagesize: 200px - death place: tenerife , canary islands , spain - notable works: '' coronation street '' - caption: tarmey as jack duckworth in 2007 - birth name: william piddington - death cause: heart attack - yearsactive: 1968 -- 2010 - death date: 9 november 2012 - spouse: ali death -rrb- tarmey -lrb- m. 1962 -- 2012 ; his - children: carl -rrb- -lrb- born 1966 -rrb- sara -lrb- born 1970 - birth date: 4 april 1941 - name: bill tarmey - image: jack duckworth.jpg - birth place: ardwick , manchester , lancashire , england , uk - occupation: actor , singer Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of bill tarmey .
A:
bill tarmey -lrb- born william piddington ; 4 april 1941 -- 9 november 2012 -rrb- was an english actor , singer and author , best known for playing jack duckworth in the soap opera '' coronation street '' .first appearing in the role in november 1979 , he played it continuously from 1981 to 2010 .