A former weekly editor who spent almost half a century working on the same newspaper group has died aged 72.

During his working life Gordon Sampson, who edited the Brighouse Echo, interviewed everyone from pop stars including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to royalty.

Gordon joined the Echo in 1959 and spent nearly half a century working for the Halifax Courier Group before his retirement in 2007.

He also covered sports such as speedway and rugby league during his career.

Stephen Firth, another former Echo editor, said of Gordon : “He knew a good story, the kind that was important to the Echo and to the town, but he instinctively knew how to treat that story – with care and affection when dealing with a bereaved family, with tenacity and vigour when confronted with, what we call round here, “a wrong ‘un.

“He was proud of his craft, proud of his town and he loved sharing its high days and holidays, its setbacks and down days, with his army of loyal readers.”

Gordon leaves wife Viv, daughters Karina and Natasha to his first wife, two step daughters Jane and Karen, and five grandchildren Ellie, Erin, Natalie, Jack and Joe.

His funeral was held on Friday at Elland, in Yorkshire and was attended by numerous former colleagues.

Donations in Gordon’s memory can be made to the Acute Stroke Unit at Calderdale Royal Hospital.