HIS Hollywood alter ego may have outlived him, but the death of journalist John Jordan will still leave a gap in many people's lives in Worcestershire.

Often mistaken for film star Robert Wagner, especially abroad, Mr Jordan, who was born in Evesham, but spent most of his later life at Hallow, near Worcester, was an award winner who worked both locally and nationally.

Former colleague and Worcester News writer Mike Grundy said: "John was an extremely genuine man with an incredible sense of humour, which shone through, especially in the cartoons he produced. I am certain he will be much missed by his family and the very many friends and colleagues who either knew him or worked with him throughout his lifetime."

Educated at Portsmouth Northern Grammar School, after the family moved there for a short while before returning to Evesham in the late 1950s, Mr Jordan soon became interested in sport and it became a key part of his early life. He was a well-known figure involved with many local teams including Evesham Early Closers, Evesham Athletic Club and Pershore Junior Old Boys football clubs.

His journalistic career began at the Evesham Standard and continued on the Evesham Journal. A move to the Worcester Evening News and Times – the forerunner of today's Worcester News – in the early 1960s followed and the family eventually moved to Worcester in 1965. Mr Jordan remained at what was then the Worcester Evening News until 1970, when he joined Tarmac in Wolverhampton taking on the position of assistant editor and, shortly after becoming editor of the in-house company newspaper Tarmac World. He remained at Tarmac until 1990 continuing to produce the in-house newspaper and winning many awards. The magazine took awards ten years in a row in a national competition for house journals and Mr Jordan was elected a fellow of the British Association of Industrial Editors, putting him among only 50 worldwide.

Despite working for Tarmac in Wolverhampton, he continued to live in St John's, Worcester and was a particularly active supporter of the scouting movement in the city. As well as a spell as a venture scout leader, he was the district public relations adviser and also assisted with and starred in a number of Scout shows staged during the 1980s and 90s. He also helped run several local football teams, particularly during his involvement with 10th Worcester Scout Group.

The family moved to Hallow in 1984 and Mr Jordan became an active member of the local Hallow community. He served as a parish councillor for a short period and remained actively involved in village life through the Hallow Village Community Group. In 1990, he left Tarmac to start his own editorial design consultancy based in Hallow, producing a number of quality magazines for the Coal Trade.

John Jordan died at the age of 75. He leaves a widow Ann, sons John jnr and Michael and granddaughter Lily. His funeral service will be on Friday, January 22 at Worcester Crematorium at 2.30pm.