Daily Mirror photographer Albert Cooper, who has been described as one of the "best in the world", has died aged 90.
Cooper was the only photographer who managed to picture Bobby and Jackie Charlton together after the 1966 World Cup final whistle. He also famously captured "Gazza's tears" when Paul Gascoigne broke down and cried during the 1990 World Cup semi final after being booked, realising he would miss the final should England have qualified.
Tributes from colleagues
Ian Down, who worked on the Mirror picture desk for 25 years and was Head of Pictures from 2000 to 2015, said: "Albert Cooper was absolutely one of the best sports photographers in the world. A true Mirror legend, the paper was very, very lucky to have him."
Down added: "I joined the Mirror at the tail end of Albert's career and beginning of mine, from a personal point of view I'll never forget how courteous, respectful and kind he was to me in those early days. Professionally he was an absolute joy to work with."
"He treated every assignment, every game, every event with the same attitude and determination, regardless of whether it was a wet Wednesday night at Grimsby's Blundell Park or a World Cup Final."
Iconic images and exhibitions
In the past 12 months, Cooper's grandson Matthew King has curated exhibitions of some of his iconic works, including his Daily Mirror Muhammad Ali pictures from the 1960s.
Down recalled meeting Cooper during Italia '90, saying: "It was, of course, at that tournament that Albert took the famous Gazza tears pic, I too was covering that game but from the wire room in the stadium that the photographers used. So I saw first hand Albert's reaction when his film had been processed and confirmed to himself what an iconic picture he had just taken."
King said when he launched the exhibitions: "Growing up, I never really understood the depth of my grandad's work or what it meant on a larger scale, but I always knew it would mean something one day."
"I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do what I do. I'm so proud of my grandad. Growing up, my grandad showed me the way in life, whether that was how to treat people or how to use a camera."
Family and legacy
Albert from Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, leaves his wife Mary, daughter Donna, son Dean and grandchildren Matthew, Rebecca, Aimee and Blossom.
