LONDON (AP) — Robert Barr, a longtime reporter and editor for The Associated Press in the U.K. from the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 to the death of Stephen Hawking earlier this year, has died after a brief battle with cancer. He was 71.

One of the longest-serving AP staffers of his generation, Barr spent 46 years with the news organization.

His elegant writing and careful editing touched virtually every major news story in the British Isles for three decades, while his memorable deskside manner left an imprint on AP colleagues.

AP Standards Editor John Daniszewski said Barr was "a lanky, droll, dry-witted part of a wonderful team in London and earlier as news editor at AP's New York headquarters. His true affection for his adopted country shone through in the many stories under his byline about life and culture in Britain."