News

Former Guardian football writer Martin Thorpe has died

Martin Thorpe, the former Guardian and Independent sports journalist, has died after a brief illness. He was 62.

Thorpe began his journalism career in the music press and before starting to work at The Times as a casual sub. In the mid-1980s, he joined the sports desk at Today at launch, and then The Guardian, where he worked until 2002.

There, he started off as a sub-editor on the sports desk, becoming chief sports sub and football reporter.

Thorpe took redundancy in 2002 and left journalism to go into property development. But in 2012 he returned to work for the Independent on Sunday and then the Independent, until the paper’s closure in March.

Thorpe was rediagnosed with cancer before his redundancy, and he died peacefully at home in Rottingdean, surrounded by his family yesterday.

Martin leaves three sons, Sam, Luka and James.

His funeral is at 11.30am on Saturday, October 1, at Extra Mural Chapel at the Woodvale Cemetery, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 3QB.

The burial is at 12.30 at Woodland Valley Natural Burial Ground, Warren Rd, Woodingdean, Brighton BN2 6DH.

Then tea and cakes at Stanmer House, Stone Mere Way, Brighton BN1 7JT

Anyone wishing to go, or with any memories to be shared at his funeral, can contact Martin Thorpe’s former colleague and friend, Neil Robinson, onĀ  07775 449256.

The SJA sends its sympathies to Martin’s family at this sad time.