Gordon Bissett, a former picture editor at the Aberdeen Evening Express, has died after suffering a heart attack. He was 82.

During a career spanning more than 50 years Gordon worked his way up from apprentice photographer to running his own picture desk, and spent 30 years working for Aberdeen Journals.

While at the Evening Express he supervised coverage of major stories, from the Dons’ European Cup Winners Cup triumph in Gothenburg to the Piper Alpha disaster. He retired from the paper in 1987.

As well as being his job, photography was also Gordon’s hobby, and the pictures he took in his spare time often proved a big hit.

Former colleague Charlie Flett said: “He was certainly an artist in his own right as far as the camera was concerned.

“He put together film shows of his work, both journalistic and those he took as his hobby.”

Another former colleague, Raymond Anderson, also paid tribute. He said: “Gordon was an absolute gentleman.

“He was one of those people who was totally reliable and unflappable in the hurly burly of evening newspaper production.”