logo
Tribute to 'devoted' grandfather who died in crash

Tribute to 'devoted' grandfather who died in crash

Yahoo27-04-2025

A family has paid tribute to a "devoted and much-loved father, grandfather, brother and son" after he died in a crash in Aberdeenshire.
Police were called to a crash between a car and a lorry near Huntly on the A96 Aberdeen to Elgin road at about 11:00 on Wednesday.
Keith Looseley, 78, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was driving a black Skoda Kamiq which had collided with a white Iveco truck.
The road was closed for over seven hours while police investigated the scene.
Mr Looseley's family said he was a former RAF pilot who had lived in Gartly, Aberdeenshire, for over 25 years.
In a statement, they said: "He was an active and valued member of the local community who volunteered with Gordon Rural Action and Morayvia aviation museum.
"Keith was a devoted and much-loved father, grandfather, brother and son and his loss is felt deeply by all who knew him.
"We would like to thank the members of the public who provided assistance in the immediate aftermath of the collision and the police officers and paramedics for all of their efforts at the scene."
Sgt Pete Henderson said: "Our thoughts are very much with Keith's family and friends at this difficult time."
Police are investigating the full circumstances of the crash and anyone with information is urged to contact them.
Car driver dies after A96 crash with lorry

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'The Day of The Jackal' author Frederick Forsyth dies aged 86
'The Day of The Jackal' author Frederick Forsyth dies aged 86

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

'The Day of The Jackal' author Frederick Forsyth dies aged 86

Prolific British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, who instantly became a global bestselling author when his book "The Day of the Jackal" was published in 1971, died on Monday aged 86, his literary agents Curtis Brown said. Forsyth famously penned his most famous work about a fictional assassination attempt on French president Charles de Gaulle by right-wing extremists in just 35 days after falling on hard times. "The Jackal" went on to be made into a hit film starring Edward Fox as the assassin. A Netflix remake last year with Eddie Redmayne in the lead role was released last year. "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," his agent Jonathan Lloyd said. Forsyth died at home surrounded by his family following a brief illness, according to Curtis Brown. The former journalist and pilot wrote over 25 books including "The Odessa File" (1972) and "The Dogs of War" (1974) and sold over 75 million copies worldwide. Many of his novels were also turned into films. "Only a few weeks ago I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life ... and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived," said Lloyd. "After serving as one of the youngest ever RAF pilots, he turned to journalism, using his gift for languages in German, French and Russian to become a foreign correspondent in Biafra (in Nigeria)," he said. - 'Spectacular luck' - "Appalled at what he saw and using his experience during a stint as a secret service agent, he wrote his first and perhaps most famous novel, 'The Day Of The Jackal'," he added. A sequel to "The Odessa File", entitled "Revenge Of Odessa", on which he worked with thriller writer Tony Kent, is due to be published in August, his publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said. "His journalistic background brought a rigour and a metronomic efficiency to his working practice and his nose for and understanding of a great story kept his novels both thrillingly contemporary and fresh," Scott-Kerr added. Forsyth attributed much of his success to "luck", recalling how a bullet narrowly missed him while he was covering the bloody Biafra civil war between 1967 and 1970. "I have had the most spectacular luck all through my life," he told The Times last November in an interview. "Right place, right time, right person, right contact, right promotion -- and even just turning my head away when that bullet went past," he said. Asked why he had decided to give up writing -- although he later went back to it -- he told AFP in 2016 he'd "run out of things to say". "I can't just sit at home and do a nice little romance from within my study, I have to go out and check out places like Modagishu, Guinea Bissau, both hellholes in different ways," he said. Forsyth had two sons by his first wife. His second wife, Sandy, died last year. Conservative MP David Davis paid tribute to his friend as a "fabulous wordsmith". He told Sky News that Forsyth "was a great believer in the old values -– he believed in honour and patriotism and courage and directness and straightforwardness, and a big defender of our armed forces". bur-har/jkb/ach

Author of The Day Of The Jackal Frederick Forsyth has died
Author of The Day Of The Jackal Frederick Forsyth has died

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Author of The Day Of The Jackal Frederick Forsyth has died

Frederick Forsyth, the author of The Day Of The Jackal, has died at the age of 86 after a brief illness, his literary agents Curtis Brown said. His book The Day Of The Jackal was turned into a 1973 film and last year a TV series on Sky Atlantic featuring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. The best-selling author was surrounded by his family when he died on Monday morning, Curtis Brown added. Read more: Forsyth, a former RAF pilot and investigative journalist turned novelist, was also known for his thrilling crime books The Fox, The Kill List and The Afghan. He was born in Ashford, Kent, in 1938 and joined the Royal Air Force in 1956 before leaving after two years to pursue a career in journalism. He covered international stories and the attempted assassination of French general Charles de Gaulle, which provided the inspiration for The Day Of The Jackal, which was published in 1971. In 2000 he became the first high-profile British writer to agree to publish a book exclusively on the internet. He revealed he had extensive involvement with MI6 in his 2015 memoir The Outsider: My Life In Intrigue. His agent Jonathan Lloyd said: "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers. "Only a few weeks ago I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life - In My Own Words, to be released later this year on BBC1 - and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived. "After serving as one of the youngest ever RAF pilots, he turned to journalism, using his gift for languages in German, French and Russian to become a foreign correspondent in Biafra. "Appalled at what he saw and using his experience during a stint as a secret service agent, he wrote his first and perhaps most famous novel, The Day Of The Jackal, and instantly became a global best-selling author. "He went on to write more than 25 books (many of which were made into films) that have sold over 75 million copies. "He will be greatly missed by his family, his friends, all of us at Curtis Brown and of course his millions of fans around the world - though his books will of course live on forever." This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the latest version. You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

The Day Of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth dies
The Day Of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth dies

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

The Day Of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth dies

Best-selling author Frederick Forsyth, known for thriller novels including The Day Of The Jackal, has died at the age of 86, his agent has said. "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," Jonathan Lloyd said in a statement. Forsyth published more than 25 books, also including The Odessa File and The Dogs of War, and sold 75 million books around the world, he said. His publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said: "Still read by millions across the world, Freddie's thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire. He leaves behind a peerless legacy which will continue to excite and entertain for years to come." Forsyth was an RAF pilot before becoming a war correspondent for the BBC and Reuters, and revealed in 2015 he also worked for British intelligence agency MI6 for more than 20 years. Many of his fictional plots drew on his real-life experiences around the world. He made his name with his first novel, 1971's The Day Of The Jackal, which he wrote when he was out of work. "[I was] skint, in debt, no flat, no car, no nothing and I just thought, 'How do I get myself out of this hole?' And I came up with probably the zaniest solution - write a novel," he said. It is a gripping tale, set in 1963, about an Englishman hired to assassinate the French president at the time, Charles de Gaulle. The Day Of The Jackal was turned into a 1973 film starring Edward Fox as the Jackal, and then became a TV drama starring Eddie Redmayne last year. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts. Frederick Forsyth reveals spy past Lee Child: Why Forsyth's Jackal changed thriller writing

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store