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Bob Friend, one of the faces who launched Sky News, died today after suffering from a brain tumour, the channel said.

Mr Friend (70) was described by Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, as “a distinguished journalist and an admired broadcaster”.

Mr Murdoch said: “Bob was a tireless worker and true to form he put up a good fight.”

Mr Friend joined Sky News from its beginning and was said to enjoy telling how he had to crawl over a building site to reach the newsroom.

The channel said in a statement: “Bob Friend was one of Britain’s longest-serving and much-loved presenters.

“A former BBC correspondent, he was with Sky News when the UK’s first 24-hour news channel launched in 1989 and was for many years referred to as ‘the face of Sky News’.

“Bob also had several cameo roles as a newscaster in movies like Independence Dayand Mission Impossible.”

Mr Friend started as a cub reporter aged 15 on the Tunbridge Wells Advertiser, covering street parties to mark the Coronation.

After nine years as a newspaper reporter, in 1969 he began a career that spanned two decades with the BBC.

He joined Radio 4’s Todayprogramme and reported from Northern Ireland for four years, witnessing the resurgence of sectarian violence at the start of the Troubles.

After a short spell in Vietnam, he was posted to Australia in 1973 and covered the Queen’s tour of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

Mr Friend spent five years in Japan as the BBC’s Tokyo correspondent, before moving to New York as the BBC’s Breakfast Time New York correspondent.

He returned to Britain to work on the start-up Sky News in 1989 and celebrated his 50th year in journalism in 2003, a year which also saw him receive an MBE for services to broadcasting.

His final shift on air for Sky News was in October 2003.

Nick Pollard, former head of Sky News said: “He had grown into his trade, he had become a marvellous, rounded figure who had a huge depth of knowledge about the world and crucially he could convey that in an easy and familiar way to people and that’s what made him a remarkable person to watch on screen.”

John Ryley, head of Sky News added: “Bob was a superb broadcaster and a very special journalist. He played a crucial role in establishing Sky.

“Bob was Bob — the same on screen as he was off it.

“He understood better than most what interested the public and he understood that laughter is important in our lives.

“He had a fantastic sense of humour and will be sorely missed by his friends and colleagues.”