Charles Duncan, a popular senior editorial executive of the Daily Record and Sunday Mail for more than 30 years, has died. He was 77.
A native of Aberdeen, Charles started his journalism career at the Press and Journal before moving to the Record in 1964, where he rose quickly through the sub-editing ranks. He was a long-standing night editor of the Record, before later serving as editor of the Scottish Daily Mirror and going on to play an important role in the launch of The Glaswegian.
Anna Smith, former Record chief reporter, said: “My abiding memory of him is the big, larger-than-life figure striding the editorial floor, changing pages, issuing orders and totally in control when a big story was on the go.”
Tom Brown, who worked on the Record backbench with Charles, said: “He’ll be remembered by a great number of fellow journalists as an exceptional professional, the best of colleagues and a convivial companion.”
In his later years, avid angler Charles suffered a number of serious health setbacks, including the amputation of a leg, but made a series of surprising recoveries.
He died on Saturday, only four days after being admitted to a hospice.
Charles is survived by his wife Olive, sons Charles and Brodie and grandkids Emma and Charlie.
