Alan Ruddock, writer, editor, dies suddenly
ALAN Ruddock, one of City A.M’s columnists at the time of the paper’s launch, died suddenly at the weekend.
His death came shortly after he played cricket in his native Ireland.
Ruddock, 49, held a number of executive roles in the UK press, including editor of the Scotsman at the time of devolution.
He was also executive editor of the Sunday Express and a former city editor of Eddie Shah’s newspaper Today.
Most importantly he was an inspiration to a legion of young and not-so-young reporters, never afraid to take on vested interests.
He wrote a well received book about Michael O’Leary, the Ryanair founder.
Although the controversial airline magnate refused to co-operate with the creation of the book, Ryanair yesterday took out a small notice in the Irish Times which described the author as “one of the good guys”, a testament to both his independence and likeability.
Ruddock, a charming man to work and to socialise with, leaves a wife and three sons.