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Pop star turned regional daily sub dies at 45

Tributes have been paid to a regional daily journalist who went into the profession after enjoying Top 10 chart success.

Andrew Midgley, who worked for the Edinburgh Evening News, died on Thursday at the age of 45 after collapsing at the gym.

Before going into journalism, Andrew enjoyed a Top 10 hit in 1992 as one half of the pop duo Cola Boy alongside Janey Lee Grace, with the song Seven Ways to Love.

The song was written by his friend Bob Stanley of chart-topping band Saint Etienne, with whom Andrew was also involved in their early days.

Andrew’s interest in journalism began in the mid-1980s when he and Bob published a series of music fanzines in Peterborough, where he grew up.

Eventually his work started to be carried by the mainstream music press – a review of a Johnny Cash show in Peterborough was his first freelance commission.

After the demise of Cola Boy, Andrew formed another short-lived band called Blinder before going into journalism full-time.

His work initally took him to Manchester and Dublin, before he settled in Edinburgh in the late 1990s.

Evening News editor Tom Little said: “Andrew was a thoroughly professional journalist but more importantly a great guy and a popular colleague.

“He will be sorely missed by everyone at the Evening News. Our thoughts are with his family at this terrible time.”

His friend Gary Flockhart added: “Andrew was one of those people who was always upbeat and always in a good mood. He had a brilliant sense of humour, very black.

“He had a varied life, from being in pop bands to masquerading as an old woman agony aunt.”

Andrew, whose nicknames were ‘Midge’ and ‘Boy Naughty’ ran two blogs – The Filthy Pen, featuring images of graffiti around Edinburgh with satirical commentary and his Bank Holiday Britain blog, which is a collection of photos featuring mundane aspects of British life.

He is survived by parents Richard and Dorothy, younger brother Michael, and girlfriend Rosalind Gibb.

Andrew’s funeral will be held at Mortonhall Crematorium Main Chapel, Edinburgh, next Tuesday at 3pm followed by a wake at the Cabaret Voltaire, Blair Street, Edinburgh, at 4pm.