'Colossus' of journalism dies on family holiday

Arnold Kemp, one of the best known figures in Scottish and British journalism, died yesterday, aged 63.

Mr Kemp, who worked for The Glasgow Herald, The Scotsman, The Guardian and The Observer, suffered a heart attack while on holiday with his family in Ireland.

Son of the playwright Robert Kemp, he was born in Edinburgh and went to The Edinburgh Academy and the University of Edinburgh.

He edited the Herald for 13 years until 1987 and was credited with transforming it from a provincial newspaper into one renowned for high-quality national and international coverage.

Kevin McKenna, deputy editor of the Herald, described him as a "colossus" of Scottish journalism.

He said: "When he was at the Herald he made it the paper that young journalists aspired to work on. You would struggle to find another editor in the country who had the same sort of charisma."