Photographer Steve Bostock collapsed and died just minutes after covering last Tuesday’s League Two game between Rochdale and Bradford City for the Rochdale Observer.
The 45-year-old freelancer is thought to have suffered a heart attack.
Bostock was the father of two children and four step-children.
He had worked for the Observer and several of its sister papers, including the Heywood Advertiser, Middleton Guardian and Oldham Advertiser for the past five years.
The Observer‘s sports editor Richard Partington said: “It was always a pleasure working with Steve, such was his love of the job. Whenever we needed a freelancer to cover a job, Steve was top of the list – dependable, keen and accurate in his work.
“Working for the the Observer on a freelance basis gave him an outlet for his passion for photography and the paper benefited greatly from that.”
The funeral is due to take place at Rochdale crematorium at 1pm this Wednesday.
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