Tributes pour in for Sir Bobby Robson
Neil Farrington, of the North East-based Sunday Sun newspaper, said: "He always made you feel like the fan you were before you came into the industry.
"Football is a hard, cynical world, but that would all go out of the window when dealing with Sir Bobby.
"He was hilarious and endlessly entertaining.
"Even when he was giving you hell over something you wrote that he disagreed with, you couldn't think badly of him.
"You knew for a fact that he knew more about football than you ever would.
"Football is a worse place without him, and football journalism is a worse place too."
His foundation raised funds for research through the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre, based at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.
Sir Leonard Fenwick, chief executive of Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "I would like to pay tribute to Sir Bobby for his sheer tenacity and commitment in tackling the issues of cancer by involving people from all walks of life and then bringing about a tremendous legacy - the Sir Bobby Robson cancer trials centre - that shall benefit so many people and the furtherance of research.
"He was a truly remarkable man."
Former England and Newcastle United skipper Alan Shearer paid tribute to a "great man".
"Sunday was a fitting tribute to him and he will be sadly missed by everyone, not just by people in the football world but from all walks of life," Shearer said.
"It's a very sad day for everyone, especially his family, his close friends and anyone who's ever worked with him."
