Tributes poured in during the week for well-known Paphos journalist Athos (Arthur) Tilley who died in hospital in Finland after a short illness, aged 58 and who will be buried on Monday in Kouklia.

Paphos Mayor Phedonas Phedonos, described Arthur as a ‘good and selfless friend’. Other politicians, officials and public figures, along with the public and friends of the journalist, took to social media to express their grief.

The journalists’ body is being flown back to Cyprus from Lahti in Finland, where he had lived and worked for the last five years. His funeral will be held at 2.30pm on Monday at Panagia Pantanassa church in Paphos. Burial will be at Kouklia cemetery.

Arthur was a larger than life vivacious character, who was loved and respected by many. He was a well-known face and voice in Cyprus, working in both radio and television as well as print media for a number of years.

Born on March 8, 1958, Arthur studied journalism at a private school in Athens.

His professional career got underway in 1990 with a stint at Radio Kinyras in Paphos, where he initially worked as a music producer.

He then moved into journalism and worked at a number of local stations, including Radio Paphos.

Arthur also worked on local TV channel Paphos TV, as an editor and news presenter. He was also the Paphos correspondent for the Cyprus News Agency and Sigma TV.

He spoke both Greek and English fluently and was a huge fan of rock music.

Many people are expected to attend his funeral on Monday, and the family will receive condolences at the church from 1.30pm to 2.30 pm.

They have requested that instead of wreaths or flowers, mourners make contributions to a special fund created for charitable purposes.