Martyn Hett Is Being Remembered After The Manchester Attack

The devastating attack on Monday evening at the United Kingdom's Manchester Arena has left at least 22 fatally wounded victims. Just announced among those killed by the explosion is Martyn Hett, a beloved 29-year-old who made several TV appearances related to his love of Deirdre Barlow, a lead character on British soap opera Coronation Street.

Hett went silent on social media Tuesday night, after tweeting, "When you sneak out for a toilet break on the Macy Gray song and the entire arena had the same idea. #DangerousWomanTour." The PR manager had thousands of followers, after appearing on British television shows Come Dine With Me and Tattoo Fixers.

His boyfriend, Russell Hayward, confirmed the news on social media, writing in a tweet, "We got the news last night that our wonderful, iconic and beautiful Martyn didn't survive. He left this world exactly how he lived, centre of attention. I'm in a really bad way so please forgive if I don't reply. Thankfully I have his wonderful family and amazing friends to keep me strong. I love you Martyn. I always will. X." The couple were featured together on Come Dine With Me, an amateur cooking competition which they won.

Hett was getting set to leave for a two month vacation in the United States, his dream tour. His stepmother, Katherine Hett, described his trip to The Telegraph as "the holiday of a lifetime." She went on to say, "I feel absolutely devastated. It’s so awful. It’s right on our doorstep. Something like this is always in the back of your mind in this day and age.”

On the show Tattoo Fixers, Hett won over many viewers and future fans with his calf tattoo of Deirdre Barlow, a long-running staple of Coronation Street, known to those familiar with it as "Corrie." Barlow was written off the series in 2015, after her everywoman character spent decades entertaining audiences on television, later becoming a somewhat unexpected star of internet memes.

In one of his most endearing social media posts, Hett implored friends to help out his "mum," whose craft table setup at a local market had not yet attracted any buyers. Hett tweeted out information about her online shop, resulting in several purchases of his mother's knit products. The buzz even landed her an interview with the BBC, in which she revealed her knitted bears suffered with mental health, the act of creating them a help with her own depression.

Hett will be deeply missed.