Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his childhood friend and the broadcast journalist Peter Sissons.
Earlier on Wednesday, a spokesperson revealed that the much-loved BBC and ITV newsreader had died at the age of 77 in hospital.
Before finding fame in their respective careers, Sissons and McCartney had been schoolmates and both attended the Liverpool Institute together in their youth.
Speaking out on Tuesday, the Beatles singer shared an open letter to his friend on his official blog.
Paul wrote: “Dear Peter, my old school mate from the Liverpool Institute (now LIPA) has passed away. It’s so sad to hear the news. We were in the same year and stayed in touch as time went by and we both followed our separate careers.
(Image: PA)
(Image: Twitter)
“He was a talented news presenter with a great sense of humour.
“I will miss him but always have fond memories of the time we spent together. My sympathies go out to his family and I send my love to them all.
“Thanks for the good times Pete. X”
Paul’s fans commended him on his kind words.
“Sweet sentiment. So sorry for your loss,” said one. While another called it “A wonderful tribute.”
(Image: Press Association)
On Tuesday a statement from Knight Ayton management said: “We are sad to announce that Peter Sissons, the former presenter on ITN, Channel 4 and the BBC, died peacefully last night in Maidstone Hospital, Kent.
“His wife and three children were with him and wish to pass on their thanks to the hospital staff who were so caring and fought gallantly to save him to the end.”
Sissons was born in Liverpool and attended the same school as John Lennon and Jimmy Tarbuck.
He started his journalism career in 1964 when he joined ITN and covered Nigerian Civil War, during which he was wounded by gunfire and sustained nerve damage to his leg.
After working as ITN’s industrial editor, he later moved to cover the news channel’s lunchtime New At One programme in 1976.During his time there, he also co-presented numerous election night broadcasts before later moving to the new Channel 4 in 1982.
He was one of the first hosts of the Channel 4 News alongside Sir Trevor McDonald and Sarah Hogg.
Sissons spent seven years at Channel 4 News before heading to the BBC in 1989, taking over from Robin Day as the host of Question Time.
He left in 1993 and was replaced by David Dimbleby, but continued as the face of the BBC’s Nine and 10 O’Clock programmes.
One of his most high-profile moments at the BBC came when he was given the sad task of announcing the death of the Queen Mother in 2002.
He sparked controversy by choosing to wear a burgundy tie for the announcement instead of the traditional black.
After leaving BBC One, he continued with the BBC by hosting weekend afternoons on the 24-hour news channel and occasionally returning to host bulletins on the main channel.
He retired in 2009 to work on his autobiography, When One Door Closes, which was released in 2011.
Sissons is survived by his wife and three children, including daughter Kate, who is an actress.
