A former daily newspaper editor who also launched a free local weekly has died aged 77.

Tributes have been paid to Charlie Duncan, who edited the Scottish Daily Mirror and served as night editor on both the Daily Record and The Scotsman.

Charlie, pictured, served as a journalist on titles including Aberdeen’s Press & Journal and the Sunday Mail during his career and also served on the launch team of The Glaswegian in 1996.

According to an obituary by Glasgow-based daily The Herald, he worked on plans for a new Glasgow evening paper “which never came to fruition” as well.

Anna Smith, a former chief reporter of the Record, told The Herald Charlie was “a big, larger-than-life figure striding the floor, changing pages, issuing orders and totally in control when a big story was breaking”.

Aberdeen-born Charlie began his career on the P&J before moving to the Glasgow-based Record in 1964, initially as a sub-editor.

He later became night editor of the paper before taking on the editorship of the Scottish Mirror.

Charlie joined The Scotsman in 2001 as deputy night editor and later night editor.

He also wrote opinion pieces, features and leaders during a five-year stay at the Edinburgh-based daily.

Charlie, who died on 16 January, suffered a series of health problems later in life, including the amputation of a leg.

He is survived by wife Olive, sons Charles and Brodie – who followed his father into the newspaper industry and became picture editor of The Herald – and grandchildren Emma and Charlie.