London (CNN) -- For much of the 19th and 20th centuries as News of the World's circulation soared ever higher, its slogan "all human life is there" gave a pretty good idea of the kind of content that made it the best-selling English-language newspaper in the world.

Now, as staff on Rupert Murdoch's tabloid prepare to publish Sunday's final edition of the paper following Thursday's announcement of its closure in the wake of the phone hacking scandal, they may be rueing how life has a habit of bringing even the mightiest beasts crashing to earth.

Britain's scandal-hit News of the World to shut down

From its formation in 1843 the paper, which initially cost just three pence, made millions of pounds for a succession of owners by offering up a regular diet of sex and celebrity news that helped it capture a significant chunk of the mass market.

And until the paper became infamous for the behavior of its own journalists, News of the World was known for its investigations, exposure of wrongdoing and campaigning. Just months ago it won a journalism industry award for its exclusive story about alleged match fixing by Pakistani international cricketers.

COMMENT:
These are difficult times for that industry.
It's horrible to think of News of the World closing, even though it sometimes drives them mad.