Sun, 6 October, 2024
Paul Fry
Posted: January 6th, 2024
PAUL FRY, a former sub-editor on The Sporting Life, died on December 22, 2023, aged only 67. Paul had been diagnosed with cancer earlier in 2023, and began writing podcasts chronicling his treatment in a very full and unfiltered manner until exhaustion from chemotherapy and his illness made that impossible.
Paul cut his journalistic teeth on the Stevenage Gazette. He joined the Life during the 1980s Maxwell era as young sub-editor under features editor, John Watson, in the days when the paper was produced from offices in Farringdon Road, London EC4. Paul is remembered by former SL executive editor Jeremy Chapman as “a very talented page designer”.
After five years in that role, Paul moved to a similar position on the Mail on Sunday.
He later worked as a freelance, and during the Covid pandemic also wrote “Journeyman, Diana, Heysel and the Hand of God”, a book about his experiences of 35 years in national newspapers. He followed this with “Town’s got talent”, a book about the many and various sporting greats who hailed from his home town of Stevenage.
With thanks to Paul Duffett.