A RESPECTED newspaper photographer has died aged 54 after battling cancer.

Jonathan Barry, who followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a photographer at the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, has been described by wife Anita as a ‘fab husband and father’ who would do ‘anything for anyone’.

Jonathan died in Worcestershire Royal Hospital on Saturday, November 7 surrounded by his family.

There was never any doubt the young Jonathan was going to make a top class photographer.

Born in Manchester, his father Jack was chief photographer of the Clitheroe Advertiser as well as one of the area’s leading freelances, while his mother Ann was the official photographer of Blackburn Rovers, then in the top flight of English football.

Paying tribute to the dad-of-two, Neil Johnson, former Lancashire Telegraph picture editor said: “Jonathan followed in his father’s footsteps – he was always known as Jack’s son. He was a press photographer par excellence in everything he did. He could produce remarkable pictures from any job ranging from Blackburn Rovers playing away in Europe to a tea party in Mellor.

“He clearly loved being a photographer and that was reflected in the pictures he took.

“He was also a fantastic ambassador for the Telegraph and got on with everyone. He could get people – adults and kids alike – to do some amazing things in his pictures because they liked and trusted him.

“It was a privilege to have worked with someone who was so passionate about what they did and took such a pride in it.

"He was also a good man to have around the office, always ready to share a laugh and a joke but who was totally committed to doing the job well.

"In an era when press photographers were a respected and highly valued resource in newspapers, Jonathan was one of the best to ever work at the Lancashire Telegraph.

“This is such a sad loss and my thoughts are with his wife and daughters.”

Jonathan began his ‘professional’ photographic career early and by the age of 13 was cycling around the Ribble Valley with his camera in his saddlebag to help his father out on jobs. He went to college to study photography only for the lecturer to admit his young student knew more than he did.

So after three months Jonathan left and joined the Accrington Observer as a freelancer.

He moved on to the Rochdale Observer and then joined the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, specialising in sports photography.

These were among the glory years for Blackburn Rovers, when Kenny Dalglish had taken over as manager and the Scottish legend became a firm friend of the Barry family.

They were also the days when the press travelled on the plane with the players and Jonathan covered several of the club’s Champions League games, flying to destinations such as Moscow and Rome. Although one nearly hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Somehow the mild mannered young Jonathan got into a raging row on board with Alan Shearer, the club’s rampaging centre forward. “I couldn’t believe it when he told me,” said his wife Anita. “I could never have imagined Jonathan raising his voice to anyone, let alone hitting them. But apparently other players had to pull the pair apart.”

In 1996, when on the Evening Telegraph, Jonathan and a reporter were despatched to Italy to catch up with Roy Hodgson after rumours began circulating that he was to be the next Blackburn Rovers manager and the pair got a scoop interview.

On the rush back to the airport, Jonathan sped straight through a toll without paying to make sure he was home in time for Christmas.

"That was Jonathan the family man. It took six weeks before international law caught up with him.

“It was all typical Jonathan,” said Anita.

“He would do anything for anyone, but family always came first. He was just a fab husband and father.”

On the other side of the journalist coin, covering the Burnley race riots of 2001 was an altogether more fraught experience, especially after police attempted to gain access to press photographers’ material for prosecution evidence.

Jonathan felt this endangered his impartiality and made working in a very volatile situation all the more difficult.

He did escape unscathed, but at times it was a close run thing.

In 2001, John and Anita and their two young daughters moved to New Zealand for two years, where John worked as a freelance with the dream job of covering the All Blacks rugby team as well as the Black Caps, New Zealand’s national cricket XI.

In 2003 the family returned to the UK, setting up home on Martley Hillside, and Jonathan joined the Worcester News, becoming picture editor and again a working news photographer.

Jonathan remained taking photographs for the Worcester News and its sister titles up until spring this year.

Worcester News editor Michael Purton said: “Jonathan was an incredibly talented photographer who instinctively knew how to capture the best shot in any situation..

“We’ll all miss him, but he lives on in our newsroom through the thousands of superb pictures he captured over the years.”

He left wife Anita, aged 54, daughters Charlotte, 26, and Jennifer, 24, and a great number of people feeling totally numbed.