Eddie Rutherford, a popular and respected news photographer, has died. He was 55.

He had been on holiday, staying with his son in London, when he suffered a heart attack.

Eddie had worked on The Gateshead Post since 1978 and attended all the town's landmark events, from Royal visits to the opening of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

Paying tribute to Eddie, former Gateshead Post colleague Roger Woodcock said: "Everybody is stunned. Eddie was very popular, very well-liked.

"He had a brilliant sense of humour, he always saw the funny side of life, but was also very sensitive and was the first person people would turn to for help."

Eddie leaves a wife, Kath, and six children.

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