A regional photojournalist who “inspired generations of photographers and reporters” has died aged 77 after a cancer battle.

Tributes have been paid to Terry Williams, left, who worked for North Wales Newspapers up until last year.

Terry, who spent 40 years in the industry and around 30 years at the Rhyl Journal, has been remembered by former colleagues as a “top photographer”.

He died at St David’s Hospice, in Llandudno, on 22 June.

Andrew Martin, editor of Newsquest North Wales’ coastal titles, said: “Terry will be sadly missed by all his friends and former colleagues at newspapers across the North Wales coast.

“Over the years his pictures played an important role in the newspapers’ success. With his friendly smile and sense of humour, Terry had the special quality that all good photographers have of putting his subjects at ease and capturing the picture which summed up the essence of the occasion.”

Terry Canty, head of news for the coastal titles, worked with Terry early on in his career.

He said: “How I will remember him best is when I accompanied him on jobs and saw him in action with his charm, laugh, warmth and wit, breaking ice better than any probing question and always securing a perfect shot from his subject.”

Terry once worked as a bus driver and even drove one of the vehicles in the film, On the Buses, which was filmed around Prestatyn, Rhuddlan and Rhyl.

Recalling Terry being taken on as a full-time photographer, former Rhyl Journal deputy editor Elwyn Edwards said: “He was under the wing of Glyn Roberts whose superb experience was quickly absorbed by Terry. It was not long before he was to stamp his own inimitable style on the Journal’s photographic output.

“In the years that followed, Terry built up his own reputation in the press and in the manner in which he conducted himself.”

Daily Post head of images Hadyn Iball, who knew Terry for more than 30 years, said: “He has inspired generations of photographers and reporters. The memories of Terry will live on as will his excellent photographs.”

Photographer Kerry Roberts added: “For me Terry was a good colleague for over 20 years, a talented photographer with a great eye and a real easy charm with his subjects. But of course much more importantly he was a great friend, a kind, gentleman. I am going to miss our weekly cups of coffee.”

Daily Post chief reporter Kelly Williams said: “Goodbye to a brilliant photographer and a thoroughly lovely man. It won’t be the same without Terry Williams, who put up a good fight and kept his sense of humour to the end.”

And Post reporter Jez Hemming described him as “generous to a fault with his time or anything else he had”.

Jez said: “Tezza was genuinely one of the nicest fellows I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I never, ever heard a bad word about him because he left a smile behind wherever he went.

“Like any top photographer, he took pleasure in making others look good and shunned the limelight himself. The world has one less talented, funny and generous soul in it now and I’ll miss him. I’m proud to have called him a friend and even prouder he called me one back. My sincerest condolences to all of Terry’s family and many friends for their loss.”