The former ABC news presenter Richard Morecroft has been remembered as “one of the great broadcasters of his generation” and a “trusted presence” for Australians after his death at the age of 70.

Morecroft presented ABC’s 7pm news bulletin for almost 20 years until 2002 and was a fixture on screens.

He later hosted the SBS quiz show Letters and Numbers between 2010 and 2012 and was also known for his environmental advocacy.

A spokesperson for Morecroft released a statement saying that he had died “at a time of his choosing” on the south coast of New South Wales.

“He was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and was grateful to go peacefully, with his partner of 36 years, Alison Mackay, beside him.

“We are devastated to lose such a warm, generous and caring human and hope that all those who knew him, if only through their TV screens, will remember him fondly.”

Tributes flow

In a statement Anthony Albanese expressed his sadness about Morecroft’s death, describing him as “the face and the voice of the news of the ABC” and a “beloved part of Australian life”.

“Combining a consummate professionalism with an unyielding humanity, Richard was a figure of absolute trust, a warm and familiar presence who guided us through the good times and bad.

“He loved the arts and was deeply passionate about our natural environment. Nothing completed the picture so delightfully as the time we learned that he used to keep a baby flying fox safe and sound beneath the desk while he was presenting the news.”

The fellow former ABC journalist Michael Rowland paid tribute to Morecroft on social media, saying: “Richard was a superb newsreader and a lovely man.”

He told ABC that Morecroft was one of his role models, calling him the “newsreader’s newsreader”.

“When he said something, you absolutely believed him because it was heartfelt and that was something that he took with him until his final days.”

Leigh Sales said Morecroft was “a kind, warm and generous colleague, as well as being a consummate professional”.

“I remember I started in the Sydney newsroom as a junior reporter … and he went out of his way to welcome me … touch base with me and to make sure that I was going OK,” Sales told the ABC.

“I had so much admiration and regard for him and I consider myself a lucky person indeed to have been his friend.”

Sales said she had last seen Morecroft a month ago, recalling how he was “dealing with bad news in a very stoic way and dignified manner”.

“He was full of life, he adored nature, he loved art, he loved people, he was just kind and caring, through and through,” she said.

The ABC’s managing director Hugh Marks called Morecroft “one of the great broadcasters of his generation”.

“His intelligence, warmth and professionalism, beamed into homes across Australia for almost two decades, made him a trusted presence in the lives of Australians and an enduring part of the ABC’s history,” he said in a statement.

“Our thoughts are with his family, friends and former colleagues.”

The ABC NSW 7pm news presenter Jeremy Fernandez remembered Morecroft as “affable, generous, and clever as he appeared on-air”.

“Richard was a model of how to wear success and popularity with grace and humility,” he told the ABC.

“He didn’t let the business of news and media dim his love and enthusiasm for people, art, the environment and the world.”

Morecroft was born in 1956 and migrated from England to Adelaide with his family at the age of 10.

After graduating from the University of Adelaide he began work as an announcer with the ABC and later presented the nightly television news bulletins in Adelaide, Canberra and Sydney.

Morecroft was known as a passionate environmental advocate, working with WWF Australia, WIRES, the Taronga Foundation and the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales.