Former East Anglian Daily Times editor Rod Kiddell has died suddenly at his Ipswich home aged 72.
Kiddell joined the EADT, which is now part of Archant, in the early 1960s and worked there for more than 25 years.
He was made editor of the Evening Star in 1978 and was later named editor of the EADT and also editorial director.
He left the company in 1988 and in 2002, after working at Express Newspapers, joined Suffolk-based Sirius Media, a company which produces puzzles for national and regional media companies.
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The current EADT and Ipswich Star editor Terry Hunt said: "All of Rod’s former colleagues were very saddened to learn of his sudden death. He was one of my first bosses, and was always very supportive, measured, and understanding. He was, clearly, also a very good journalist.
"Only a few weeks ago, my wife Jane and I had a lengthy car journey with Rod on our way to and from an event in north Norfolk. It gave us the opportunity to chat with him away from work, and really get to know the loving family man he was.’"
Tony Pickering, managing director of Sirius, said: “Although Rod was seriously ill in December last year, he survived several weeks in intensive care and responded well to the ongoing treatment. In April he returned to light work, and he was always itching to get back involved in a bigger way.
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“Journalism was his lifeblood, and he could never entertain the thought of retirement.
“Rod was one of the kindest, courteous and most generous men it is possible to imagine. He was supportive and encouraging to everyone on the staff, although he never lost the keen eye of the top class subeditor he had always been. I feel privileged to have worked closely with him for the last ten years of his life.”
Rod leaves a widow, Judy, and a son, Tim.
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