Mike Baldwin will die in the arms of bitter rival Ken Barlow ending a 20-year feud between the 'Coronation Street' stars, it has emerged.
Alzheimer's Disease has struck down the factory boss, played by 70-year-old Johnny Briggs, in recent months.
According to a report in the 'Sunday Mirror', his condition starts to deteriorate rapidly.
Mike is taken to hospital with pneumonia after being found walking around in the rain. After he disappears again, Ken finds him slumped on the steps of his factory.
As Ken cradles Mike in his arms, they talk about old times. Ken calls an ambulance but his long-time rival dies before it arrives, according to the newspaper report.
The scene is due to be shown in April.
Mike Baldwin first appeared on the street in the 1976 as a boyfriend of then Rovers barmaid Bet Lynch. He then fell in love with single mum Deirdre Barlow. They dated for two years, but when they split she married Ken.
Mike and Deirdre rekindled their romance two years later, but their passionate affair was discovered by Ken, and the two men came to blows, marking the start of their rivalry.
A spokesman for the soap said: ''Mike Baldwin is one of Coronation Street's longest serving and most well-loved characters, and the writing team have been working on an exit storyline that does him justice for sometime now.''
