A columnist who wrote for a weekly newspaper for several decades has died aged 81.

Tributes have been paid to Brian Lynch, left, who wrote for the Brentwood Gazette and also had a brief spell working for a Fleet Street news agency.

Brian is best remembered for his ‘Lynch Lines’ column in the Gazette, in which he recollected his early life and that of his children as well as commenting on political issues.

He also wrote 11 books which included biographies of local businessmen, short stories, stories about his early childhood during the war and stories of the early life of his children.

Brian’s daughter Tracey, the eldest of four, said: “He was very well known in the town.

“He had a lot of contacts over the years and people would constantly ask us if we were Brian Lynch’s children. He would get a lot of amusement from that.

“He used to take a bit of pride in that – he was well known and he enjoyed that notoriety.

“He was a big, larger than life character but a very gentle man. He had a massive amount of wisdom and kindness. He was really kind and wanted the best for people.”

Brian died on 12 July after a short illness, and his funeral date is yet to be set.