The live episode of EastEnders ended in tragedy as Martin Fowler (James Bye) took his final breath, leaving a nation of fans in mourning.
As the first baby born on the show way back in 1985, he is a huge part of EastEnders history, and fans are completely devastated by the loss.
The stallholder was caught up in the explosion in the Queen Vic, and chose to rescue Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) instead of evacuating the building with partner Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton).
The former couple refused to leave the pub before sorting out their relationship, after Stacey had confessed her love to Martin earlier in the evening.
However, this proved to be a fatal mistake, as Martin was pinned to the ground when a beam collapsed on top of him.
In the live episode, Martin asked Stacey to marry him, as the pair once again confessed their love for one another.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck when the paramedics informed Stacey that Martin was suffering from ‘crush syndrome’, and lifting the beam off him would cause him to go into cardiac arrest and likely die.
Though Stacey tried to stay hopeful, her worst fears were confirmed when Martin sadly died.
Across the nation, fans of the show took to Twitter/X to share their devastation.
As many swore never to forget the iconic character, others reflected on watching his full life cycle play out on screen, from birth to death.
Others are already calling for him to return from the dead, like Kathy and Cindy Beale (Gillian Taylforth and Michelle Collins) before him.
Now, fans are also calling for Michelle and Vicki Fowler to return for his funeral.
With Angie Watts having appeared in a scene earlier this week, we feel like anything is possible at this point!
It wasn’t just fans who were sad to see Martin go, with co-star James Farrar, who plays Zack Hudson, paying tribute to his friend on Instagram.
‘Thank you for the nights out, thank you for the laughter and thank you for giving us one of the best moments in TV tonight,’ he wrote in the caption.
‘Losing you as a scene partner,’ he added, with a broken heart emoji, ‘… but won’t lose you as a pal. Love you mate.’
