Ken Gorman, for many years a respected sports writer for the Mirror Group in Wales, has died. He was 72.
During a varied and colourful career, Ken had been a sub-editor for the Daily Express in Manchester before joining the Daily Star as a sports reporter when the paper was launched in 1978.
Ken became the Daily Star‘s man in the north-east before becoming the Star‘s boxing correspondent and eventually moved back to his beloved South Wales where he was based for the later years of his life.
He wrote a number of books including ghost-writing Ian Rush’s life story.
David Walker, the SJA chairman, said: “I was privileged to have travelled around the world with Ken.
“He was a fine man and an outstanding journalist. He was tenacious in pursuing the truth and hated people who tried to mislead sports fans or the media. Indeed, he could be a very challenging foe for some of the fly-by-nights he met through sport.
“Ken was a very proud Welshman and blessed with a wonderfully dry sense of humour. He could poke fun at himself but could also spot the pompous and self-serving who deserved having their cover blown.
“As many of Ken’s media friends will know, in recent years he has fought a battle to overcome prostate cancer. A battle he thought he had won.
“Unfortunately, after a period in remission the cancer had spread but it was a heart attack last weekend that proved fatal.
“Until his final days Ken was supplying impeccably written, concise copy for the Sunday Mirror. It was my pleasure to be his sports editor for nine years. His columns based on Welsh sport were always opinionated, beautifully written and sure to provoke. And Ken loved letting his readers know what some of the great, good and not so good in sport were really like.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Pat and their family at this sad time.”