One of rugby league’s greatest journalists, Alan Clarkson OAM, has passed away.

Clarkson will be best remembered for his work with the Sydney Morning Herald and as part of television’s Controversy Corner, one of the most famous and infamous rugby league TV spots in history.

Fellow journalists have paid their respects on social media with Rugby League Week’s Tony Adams calling Clarkson a “boyhood hero” while Steve Mascord said “Very sad to hear the great rugby league scribe Alan Clarkson has died. Clarko was a massive help to me growing up – and his 1988 briefcase with a computer in it was the most amazing thing I had seen in my life!”

Fox Sports’ Warren Smith said it was a “sad day for anybody who grew up reading and watching Alan Clarkson’s reports on rugby league”.

NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg said, “Alan Clarkson was a legend in the field and will always be remembered fondly for the role that he played in the game.”

In the ever-changing world of sports journalism, Clarkson will be eternally missed.