A former executive editor at a Scottish daily has died from leukaemia at the age of 73.

Ronnie Anderson worked at Glasgow’s The Herald from the mid-1970s until he retired in the late 1990s.

His time in journalism started as a copy boy in the 1950s and he then spent time working for a number of newspapers, including Glasgow’s the Bulletin and the Evening Citizen.

Ronnie also worked for a time in Manchester as a production journalist before being taken on at The Herald – where he was appointed to a series of senior production posts before becoming the long-standing executive editor.

The Herald paid tribute to him in an ‘appreciation’ piece published last week, following his death on 23 June.

It says: “Close colleagues of Ronnie found that, although he was a private man and worked at being inconspicuous, he was famously good with people and the very man for a crisis with his unflappable presence and a dry wit.

“Somehow he always seemed to be at the centre of editorial life, a playmaker in editorial conferences where his opinions carried strong influence.

“His great dependability was most obvious in times of heaviest pressure when deadlines were approaching.

“He had the ability to sub-edit copy so that even the most precious writer found it difficult to spot the change. That was a talent, not just a mere skill.

“It was typical of Ronnie that he retired without forewarning anyone except the editor – he wanted no fussy farewell – and he took off to pursue his interests in travel and golf.

“He became a victim of leukaemia and put up a valiant fight against the illness. When he died aged 73 his death notice in his old paper said he had been ‘belligerent to the end’ – and it’s not hard to imagine his defiance.”