John Hepburn, former managing editor of The Scotsman, has died. He was 65.

Born in Edinburgh, he began his newspaper career on the old Fifeshire Advertiser in Kirkcaldy.

He quickly made a name for himself and was hired by the Evening Dispatch in Edinburgh, only to face joblessness when 21 days later the paper was taken over by the rival Evening News.

However with the help of Dispatch writer and union father of the chapel George Saunders, later chief law reporter on The Scotsman, John was taken on by The Scotsman.

Within four years he was made assistant news editor by editor Alistair Dunnett, rising to assistant editor in 1979 and managing editor for two years until 1994.

At this point he turned freelance, going back to the reporting and writing he loved, turning in crisp copy for The Scotsman on items from business to travel, using the listings in his well-thumbed contacts wherever he went.

As staffer and contributor, he served under 11 editors of the paper.

John is survived by his wife, Morag, and children, Alan and Catriona.