A journalist who started his career on a local newspaper and went on to become a tabloid editor has died at the age of 86.

Mike Terry was former northern editor of the Daily Mirror and later went on to work at The Sun. He started his career on his local newspaper the Worthing Herald at the age of 15.

He died on Monday following a stroke.

At the age of 18 he joined the army. It was while serving in Caen that he lost an eye when he was struck by flying shrapnel from a bomb.

When he demobbed, he rejoined the Worthing Herald. This was followed by a brief stint on the South London Chronicle which led to the subs’ desk at the London Evening News in 1954.

He then worked as a sub on the now defunct News Chronicle before moving on to the Daily Mirror in 1960.

Ten years later he lost his job at the Mirror. Having been diagnosed as an alcoholic, he gave up drink for the rest of his journalistic career.

Colleagues have described him as a ‘true legend’ who exemplified charm. 

In The Guardian, Roy Greenslade wrote: “Terry was one of those tabloid journalists from the old school who was educated through the job and saw papers as an educational tool for others.”

After retirement in 1988, Terry and his late wife, Sheila, moved to the Oxfordshire village of Hook Norton, and he became a respected parish councillor.

They had three children, including a son Christopher, who works as a journalist for ITN.

His funeral is due to take place on 2pm on at St Peter’s Church in Hook Norton on 13 September.