I'm sad to report that Shelley Rohde has died, aged 73. She wrote the definitive biography of the artist LS Lowry, whom she met while working as a feature writer in the Manchester office of the Daily Mail. I met Shelley when I was a sub on the Mail in 1967 and was immediately taken with her forcefulness and wit. She was a force of nature.
After leaving the Mail Shelley became a successful broadcaster. She produced debates for the BBC and presented a chat show for Granada. She also wrote a guide to the life of Van Gogh. But she returned several times to Lowry, compiling a special guide to his work for children, writing a TV drama about his life, and devising a ballet about him too.
She leaves three sons and a daughter.
