It is with great sadness that we learned this morning of the passing of Graham Richardson, known affectionately to both friend and foe simply as Richo.

Richo was a towering figure in Labor politics and in more recent years as a feisty, articulate, insightful, and entertaining commentator on Sky News Australia.

Richo played pivotal roles in the most successful Labor government in our history. His insights and knowledge were second to none.

I was very privileged to call Graham a friend, and enjoyed not only some wonderful debates on television with him but many a fun and entertaining lunch at his favourite haunts around Sydney.

For several years, Richo and I would spar with each other on Paul Murray Live, where we would go hammer and tongs over whatever was the left-right issue of the day. So passionate were those debates that people were astonished when they would see Richo and I laughing and having a few beers together, convinced we were mortal political enemies.

But that was, of course, the key to Richo’s astonishing popularity and successful career: yes, he could be ruthless, yes he could be forthright, yes he could be, in his own words, ‘a right bastard’.

Such were, and are, the demands of national politics.

Richo’s most famous slogan was, after all, ‘Whatever it takes…’

But above all, to his legion of friends and admirers, Richo was a fair dinkum Aussie bloke – everybody deserved a fair go and mateship was his most prized asset. ‘The mob will always figure you out’ was Richo’s other famous mantra. I can tell you unreservedly that the mob figured Richo out long ago … and they loved him.

Richo will be sorely missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Amanda and his son, Darcy, who was the proudest achievement of his life. One thing’s for sure, there will be some furious and passionate debates in Heaven tonight.

Editor-in-Chief, Rowan Dean