On the Death of Nigel Dempster

Not being a reader of the Mail,I cannot say that I ever read any articles by Nigel Dempster but there is no doubt that he was well respected across the industry.

Dempster ,daubed the greatest living Englishman by Auberon Waugh,began working for the paper in 1973 and reported on the life and times of the rich and famous before retiring due to ill health in 2003.He was also a contributor to Private Eye in the mid 80's.

Tributes are flooding in across all areas of the media,none more so than colleagues in the Mail.

Lord Rothermere describing him thus.

"Nigel was the greatest gossip columnist of his generation.
His fame became synonymous with the Daily Mail and he was required reading for the great and the good.
Nigel's genius was his ability to tell the story while maintaining a friendly relationship. To me and my family he was more than just a great journalist, he was a true friend and his passing will be felt keenly."

Paul Dacre

"Nigel was not only a treasured friend and a brilliant colleague, but also one of the best diary writers Fleet Street has ever known. His scoops were the stuff of legend and his zest for life inexhaustible.
He liked nothing more than to deflate the egos of the idle rich and puncture the pomposity of the powerful. It made him one of the most talked-about figures Fleet Street has ever seen. We will all miss him."

And this from Roy Greenslade

"Nigel Dempster's name was synonymous with newspaper gossip. There cannot be any doubt that he enjoyed unrivalled success with his Daily Mail column. Readers loved him. Many of the people who featured in his column, while affecting to dislike him, were only too delighted that he cared enough to write about them. "

The climate for gossip has changed considerable in the past few years,Nigel's glitz and glam has been replaced by footballers,pop stars and big brother.His like will probably not be seen again