Former Worcester News photographer Roger Hooper has died of a heart attack at the age of 61.

The award-winning press photographer, who later set up his own business, worked in the photographic department of The News for 23 years.

Former colleague and News columnist Mike Grundy said: “One of the first things you noticed about Roger Hooper was his beaming smile. He always seemed so cheery, no matter what was going on.”

Roger joined the paper, then colloquially known as “the News and Times”, on January 4, 1960 straight from school and covered the whole range of local news stories from weddings to murders.

He went to Ireland with the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment at the height of “The Troubles” and down a Welsh coal mine with Mike Grundy.

After leaving, he set up his own wedding photography business.

He later recalled: “I quickly adopted the golden rule, ‘Never upset the vicar’.

“If you did, they never let you back in the church for a start and the last thing you want at a wedding is an irate vicar stomping about.”