Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his former school friend Peter Sissons, following the newsreader’s death at the age of after 77.

The pair attended school together in Liverpool in the 1950s, alongside Paul’s eventual Beatles bandmate George Harrison.

Sir Paul shared a special tribute to his old friend on his official website, along with a picture of them from their school days. 

He wrote: “Dear Peter, my old school mate from the Liverpool Institute (now LIPA) has passed away.

“It’s so sad to hear the news. We were in the same year and stayed in touch as time went by and we both followed our separate careers.

“He was a talented news presenter with a great sense of humour. I will miss him but always have fond memories of the time we spent together.

“My sympathies go out to his family and I send my love to them all.

“Thanks for the good times Pete. X.”

Former BBC and ITN news anchor Peter died on Tuesday in hospital surrounded by his family.

Many other names from the world of broadcasting previously have since shared their tributes, with BBC newsreader Fiona Bruce describing him as “one of the loveliest men” in the business.

“His brilliance in news was well known but to me, he was generous, funny, a bit naughty and so kind. I will miss him very much,” she said.

BBC news presenter Simon McCoy also paid his respects, tweeting: “Very sorry to hear of the death of former colleague Peter Sissons.  A great journalist and a fine presenter at ITN and the BBC. #RIP”

Peter’s career in journalism spanned over 40 years and retired from broadcasting in 2009.

In 2011 he published his autobiography in which he criticised the BBC for what he saw as its left-wing bias.

He is survived by his wife Sylvia and three children Kate, Michael and Jonathan.