In rain, hail or snow, Davie Raybould could be found selling the P&J and Evening Express from a stall in Aberdeen city centre.
His death this week, at the age of 67, has prompted an outpouring of tributes from colleagues in awe of his dedication.
Mr Raybould worked for six days a week since 1990, latterly as the city’s final newspaper street vendor, and was a familiar fixture outside Marks and Spencer.
The pensioner, who died from a heart attack on Tuesday night, described the joy he received from his work when he was honoured at an awards event in 2015.
He said: “I like it, you get to be out in the fresh air and you are out in the rain, hail, sleet and snow – but it doesn’t matter, you just get on with it.”
The deputy head of circulation at Aberdeen Journals, Ian McGuire, praised Mr Raybould for striking up a bond with many of the people he sold papers to.
He said: “I can’t speak highly enough of Davie, he had a great attitude and was completely reliable.
“He had a great relationship with his customers, people really enjoyed getting their paper from him every day.”
Mr Raybould was originally from Glasgow, but moved to Aberdeen after being made redundant from working in the shipyards there.
The man who hired him in 1990, Norman Cockburn, said that Mr Raybould “lived to sell newspapers”.
