He lived for gossip

A man after my own heart! Described as "the hack who lived for gossip", Nigel Dempster - unrivalled lord of the society columns and stalwart of Private Eye jibes for decades - is dead.

Dempster's columns in first the Daily Express, then later the Daily Mail, concentrated on revealing the foibles and indiscretions of the gentry, the rich, the famous and not-so-famous alike. As Roy Greenslade says in his tribute in the Guardian, "There was a vicarious pleasure in reading about the illicit relationships, the divorces and the parties."

Although his days were numbered with the onset of rival (and much cheaper and easier to digest) slag-mag columns in the tabloids, the rise of the TV and pop "celebrity" and Hello! and OK! magazines, his spirit still lives on - if only in their envy at his ability (and their failure) to get the true stories before they happen.

Dempster accurately predicted the planned resignation of Harold Wilson as prime minister - an event which came as a bolt from the blue to most of the political establishment. He was also first with the story about Prince Andrew's plans to marry Sarah Ferguson. These are the kinds of scoop the big celebrity magazines would die for...

But after all, only a true journalist can root out the lowest facts about the most "untouchable" people, and present them (as he did) in a matter-of-fact way amongst the photos of polo matches and charity balls, then sit back and wait for the fireworks to begin!

RIP

Roy Greenslade on Nigel Dempster

BBC Online's obituary