A passionate, charismatic man – that's how many saw Bart Kruger. But just as all stories have beginnings, middles and ends, this beloved curly-mopped character has reached the end of his. On 16 August one of Hillside's great stalwarts fell – and just about everyone in South Africa was reduced to tears!

When Bart returned home everyone thought this time his tale might end – happily – before the altar. As it turns out it did indeed end in church – but not, as many had hoped, for an exchange of vows.

Instead his denouement came beside an open grave as a young man in the prime of his life exchanged the present for eternity. In the end Bart's brave battle against the virus that attacked his liver didn't work out as Tessa and the rest of Hillside had hoped and prayed.

Because our beloved Bart is dead.
"Bart was born over a period of three months," Neil Sandilands, who played Bart, tells tvplus. "When 7de Laan began the show already had two heartthrobs – Zack (Robert Bester) and George (Nico Panagio). There wasn't really place for another romantic lead, so it was intended for Bart to represent the soapie's comic element – but that was decided only later.

"At the start Danie Odendaal (the producer of 7de Laan) couldn't make up his mind whether Bart should work in the deli or at the architectural firm and the idea was that he would flirt with Wilmien (Nina Swart). But soapies work differently to stage productions – you're thrown in at the deep end and things just happen."

Neil says it was then decided to experiment with the comic side of Bart's character. "You know, he had to bring comic relief – be a real jester straight out of a Shakespeare play. But I soon learnt there are more dimensions to comedy than you think."

Viewers learnt that lesson too. Who can ever forget how Bart and Marko literally declared battle over Liesl, the mousy girl Maria helped transform into a redheaded pouty princess for the Duiwebal? Who can forget how Bart and Jerome decided to hold theme evenings when they ended up having to work together in the deli? And who can ever forget how Bart not only tripped over his tongue every time he fell in love, but also almost literally lost his footing?

Lost in love
"That's what I'll miss most about Bart – those moments that were created so people could identify with him," Neil says with a laugh. There have been many such moments over the last five years – moments Bart made come alive: the boxing match, the time he learnt to dance, his relationship with the doves Breëbors and Bekkie.

"Bart is the guy who always tried his best but could never get things quite right. He's the one who gave his all but never managed to get the girl. And he was always a figure of hope – people knew he'd always bounce back."

And didn't he just! Even when things failed to work out with Liesl Bart managed to find a way to land on his feet. After all, she wasn't the only one who made his heart beat faster – so did Claudia and at one stage even Paula. But most readers believed Libby would be the last woman to ever shred his heart to bits – and so it proved.

After his experiences with her he decided to go fishing for tiger fish in Malawi. And if his return to Hillside much later came as a surprise, his dogged love for Tessa was an even bigger one. After all he'd made up his mind never to fall in love again – but then along came the brunette from the boutique who gave him the love and respect he'd been searching for for such a long time.

"Vicky Davis (who plays Tessa) was absolutely fantastic," Neil says in a way that makes clear the fact he really enjoyed this last twist to Bart's tale. "Working with her was great. The story had plenty of depth and she was very gentle. It was the prefect parting gift to my character." Neil's eyes are as bright as a naughty schoolboy's.

When Bart wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen to him he asked Marko to look after Tessa should he not be around one day. It's quite ironic when you think a year before he was ready to fight Marko to the death for Liesl! "Only the good die young," Neil quotes his namesake Neil Diamond. "Let the other side prepare for his coming! When Bart says goodbye it really is final. Finality is good.

7de Laan has always reflected 'real-life' situations – a chapter in a life. "I'm grateful for the chance I had to mould and form myself," he adds with a laugh. "After a while you become 'public property' – the public responds to visual perceptions and people aren't always sure who you are. That's why you have to be able to draw the lines between yourself and your character – and there are few people who get it right. Shaleen Surtie-Richards is one person who manages that very well. "It was actually quite hard to fill Bart's shoes again," Neil continues.

"There is life because and in spite of 7de Laan. Remember I was out of the soap for 18 months – 18 months during which I grew as a person. Bart didn't necessarily grow along with me. "It was just as hard to take my leave of him but it was necessary. I have other dimensions to explore but I'll always be loyal to the soap – 7de Laan inspires." Neil has bad news for those who hope he'll change his mind and return to the show, as so often happens in other soaps. "Danie won't allow it – after all that's not how reality works. When you're dead, you're dead."

Farewells
What are Neil's final words of goodbye to Bart? "My old bulkalf (bull calf), I'll see you someday in Fiddler's Green." Fiddler's Green is the imaginary land in which fishermen and men of the sea spend eternity – and also the subject of an Irish drinking song. "On Fiddler's Green is a place I've heard tell," Neil quotes, "where fishermen go if they don't go to hell. Where the weather is fair and the dolphins do play and the cold coast of Greenland is far, far away."

All that remains to be said is "Goodbye Bart! May you rest safely at peace in the hereafter. May Tessa’s love be your halo. "May the years you've given us so much fun and pleasure, drama and tears, be noted in the Good Book – because South Africa appreciates them and will never forget."

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