A popular regional photographer who took his newspaper’s best-selling photograph ever has died, aged 72, after a six-month battle with motor neurone disease.

Retired “Camera King” Roy Booker (pictured) worked in the regional press for 47 years, and spent more than 30 of those at the Worcester News.

The famous picture, which was snapped up by more than 2,000 readers, was one an atmospheric one he took off-the-cuff on Millennium morning, as he made his way to work across Worcester bridge.

He also won the Midlands News Picture of the Year award for a picture of a family of travellers whose caravan had been destroyed by fire at Kempsey, near Worcester.

A tribute piece has been published by the paper, praising him as a “master of his craft” and a “thoroughly good bloke”.

Picture editor Jonathan Barry, who worked with Roy, told HTFP the industry had “lost a legend.”

“Roy always had time for his colleagues and subjects alike,” he said.

“Having spoken to many former colleagues following Roy’s passing, there is a genuine feeling that we have lost a legend. A true pro in every sense of the word, having worked at the Worcester News for over 30 years, producing some of the most memorable images of the past few decades.

“It has been an honour to work alongside one of the true gentlemen of the profession. Our thoughts are with Roy’s family at this sad time.”

Roy retired in 2003 after a career largely oriented around sports photography.

The Midlands News Picture of the Year award-winning picture

He started out working with a former Daily Mirror chief photographer, who’d set up an agency in Dover. This led him to covering cross-Channel swims – though on one occasion, he made more headlines than the swimmers.

The motorboat carrying the photographers was stopped in its tracks when a rope wrapped itself around the propeller and Roy, as the only one among 10 on board who could swim, was ‘volunteered’ to jump overboard to cut it free.

“The only trouble was I couldn’t stay under water – I kept bobbing to the surface,” he said at the time.

“So one helpful soul stuck his foot on my head and I bloody nearly drowned. But I did free the propeller and it made more headlines in the national press than the swimmers.”

In 1971, he moved from the Windsor, Slough and Eton Express to the then-Worcester Evening News, with his wife Sue and four children.

He was most often found snapping football or cricket matches, patrolling the touchline at St George’s Lane or the white picket fence around the New Road grounds.

He died at a nursing home in Droitwich earlier this month.

The funeral will be held on Monday (May 20), at Worcester Crematorium at 1pm.