Experienced journalist and newspaper editor Brendan Boyle – who edited the Daily Dispatch and was executive editor of the Sunday Times – has died, a long-time friend confirmed.
Details of his death were not immediately provided, but it is believed he was suffering from a long-term illness.
Boyle’s close friend, fellow journalist Wyndham Hartley, said he had passed away on Sunday night.
"He was a journalist of not inconsiderable skill. He was a meticulous and ethical journalist of considerable proportion," Hartley said of Boyle.
Boyle had a long-spanning career in the media industry. He worked as a parliamentary correspondent for Reuters before moving up to head the news agency's South African bureau.
After leaving the newspaper industry - after he reportedly sent his CV as part of an application for a Democratic Alliance MP post, an application that was later withdrawn - Boyle worked as a policy researcher, particularly on land issues.
"I knew Brendan from the Parliament press gallery. I was a young reporter at the time and I remember Brendan being a professional through and through," said editor of the Daily Dispatch, Chiara Carter.
"He was very well informed and always asked the last question. He was amazing for young rookie journalists to learn from and was always ready to offer mentorship and advice."..