“Brilliant” award-winning magazine editor Jackie Hatton has died suddenly after a short illness. She was 53.
Hatton, who edited Best and Woman magazines, passed away on January 1st. She is a former winner of ‘Magazine Editor of the Year’ and widely credited with inspiring a generation of young journalists.
Tributes have been paid by colleagues and friends.
Current Best editor Siobhan Wykes said: “Jackie was a brilliant inspiring journalist and an even better friend.
“We first met in our 20s as reporters on Woman’s Own and last worked together in 2015, by which time Jackie had risen to be the editor-in-chief of Best.
“Hearst launched Best Heroes last year and it would not have run so smoothly or found so many amazing men to honour without Jackie.
“It was a huge success and the credit, as ever, was mostly hers.”
Sunday People TV columnist Melanie Blake said: “From the moment I met Jackie I was amazed by her energy, passion and talent.
“She single handedly changed the landscape of the ‘classics’ market with brave and bold decisions including fighting to be able to feature a celebrity wedding as her whole front cover, which was usually something exclusive only to OK! or Hello! mag and unheard of for the classics territory.
“She won and was right of course, scoring the magazines highest cover sales for a decade which resulted in her winning Editor Of The Year – a title she more than deserved.
“Later, she moved to Best magazine and brilliantly re-booted the brand with huge success.
“She was one of the most talented, creative and loyal editors I ever knew.”
Alison Phillips Trinity Mirror’s deputy editor in chief said: “Jackie was a journalist who understood the brutally competitive world of women’s magazines better than anyone.
“By remaining true to herself she always had a true understanding of
her readers, their concerns and demands.
“She will be hugely missed.”
Hatton started her journalism career studying on the NCTJ course at Harlow in 1982.
She worked for a short time on local newspapers in Essex before moving into magazines.
Hatton, who edited Woman for three years, was also deputy editor at Woman’s Own and spent five years working as a freelance journalist at Prima and Prima Baby.
She became editor of Best in January 2010. She took voluntary redundancy two years ago to work on other projects.
A passionate West Ham fan, leaves husband Paul Clemenson, sons Dan, Sean and Matt, who is chief reporter on the Romford and Ilford Recorder newspapers.
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