A diabetic actor who used to be in Coronation Street could no longer remember his lines due to failing mental health before he died of an insulin overdose.
Iain Rogerson, 56, may have been considering suicide, after notes alluding to taking his own life were found at his home, an inquest heard yesterday.
Mr Rogerson played Harry Flag for two years before being axed from the show and also appeared in The Bill, Heartbeat, Emmerdale and Doctors.
Coroner John Gittins told yesterday’s hearing the actor’s thoughts had been disjointed and confused after suffering from mental health problems.
His father Raymond said he experienced memory loss and there was little hope of him getting back into acting because he would often forget his lines.
Iain Rogerson (pictured on Coronation Street set) played Harry Flag for two years before being axed from the show and also appeared in The Bill, Heartbeat, Emmerdale and Doctors
He was found collapsed at home on October 13 last year near Chirk, near Wrexham, Wales with an insulin needle in his leg and was rushed to hospital where doctors were unable to save him.
Recording a conclusion of death by natural causes, Mr Gittins said he believed Mr Rogerson had been trying to treat a diabetic episode when he collapsed.
Doctors said Mr Rogerson, who also appeared in the films Mike Bassett: England Manager, To Kill A King and Bedazzled, suffered brain damage from a lack of oxygen due to the insulin overdose.
The inquest heard Mr Rogerson divorced his wife around 2008 and had financial problems.
The 56-year-old (pictured with Janice Battersby actor Vicky Entwistle) was found collapsed at his home near Wrexham, Wales last year with an insulin needle in his leg
He developed pancreatitis and was diagnosed with Type 3 diabetes due to heavy drinking, which left him dependent on insulin injections.
In a statement to the inquest, his father Raymond said his son’s mental health deteriorated and he would often ‘fall into a trance’ and have no memory of it.
Although he had stopped drinking excessively years ago, the Weaverham-born actor was suffering memory loss and had no hope of getting acting work ‘because he couldn’t remember his lines’, said his father.
Paying tribute to him, his father said: ‘We are so proud of our son and the achievements he had on stage and screen.’
Mr Gittins said: ‘He was a man who had clearly been struggling with mental and physical health issues.
Recording a conclusion of death by natural causes, Coroner John Gittins said he believed Mr Rogerson (pictured) had been trying to treat a diabetic episode when he collapsed
‘He had a serious diabetic condition due to his past excessive consumption of alcohol.’
The coroner added: ‘I don’t even think this was an accident due to an overdose.
‘I believe that this was a hypoglycemic episode that he was seeking to treat and collapsed while doing it.’
When the Harry Flagg character was axed from Coronation Street in 2004, fans started an online petition in a bid to have him returned to the cobbles.
After his death tributes flooded in. The actor’s former agents, CV Actor Management, tweeted: ‘It is with great sadness we say goodbye to our friend & client former @itvcorrie actor Iain Rogerson.’
Actor Trevor Dwyer-Lynch, from Manchester, also Tweeted: ‘Sad and Gutted to her about Iain Rogerson RIP a gentleman both on and off set when we worked together @itvcorrie #iainrogerson.’
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