Snooker Legend Higgins Dies Aged 61

[Rinrada]

Seems the most obvious place...sports section...but for all Snooker fans esp from UK just got this from the BBC

Former world snooker champion Alex Higgins dies at the age of 61 after a long battle against throat cancer.A legend in his time and although I was never really into the game I always enjoyed the like of The Hurricane and being a bit controversal made him appear more so... RIP

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

[greasemonkey]

R.I.P. Legend.

[mickylonster]

R.I.P. Legend.

R.I.P. Alex a good friend and a master of the green baize , will always remember your genius .

[Atmos]

takes me back, you UK people may laugh but parts of New Zealand (incl my home town) didn't have colour tv until about 1974, some even later than that - before then I used to watch Pot Black with my dad, in black and white.

Fantastic memories of those guys, Eddie Charlton from Oz, Denis Taylor with the huge spectacles, Ciff Thorburn from Canada, and then the early years of Jimmy White, Steve Davis and co. And the commentator with the very quiet voice . . .

I don't actually remember Higgins being in the Pot Black series though? Maybe just my memory.

[PST]

A truly great snooker player,but also a compulsive gambler,and a wife beating alchoholic.

PST.

[phutoie2]

Have a read of this for a good assessment of Alex H, far more detail than some of the other obits.

BBC Radio 5, had some good stuff on him too.

My link

[greasemonkey]

takes me back, you UK people may laugh but parts of New Zealand (incl my home town) didn't have colour tv until about 1974, some even later than that -

I also used to watch snooker in Black and White. And I wasnt born til 1977!

I'm sure most would be familiar with the classic Quote of a comentator( cant remember which) " For those of you watching in Black and White, the Green Ball is the one above the Pink"

[Goshawk]

a snooker Legend..

no-nonsense honesty & still knockin 'em in, right til the end.

His last interview...

RIP

[Beetlejuice]

Such a terrible way to die. That cancer`s a bastard.

He is at peace now, a great man, will always be remembered.

Alex Higgins - 1949 to 2010

[tigerfish]

a snooker Legend..

no-nonsense honesty & still knockin 'em in, right til the end.

His last interview...

RIP

a legend!

what a loss of one of the greatest talents to ever play on the green baize. i am sure without the likes of alex, players such as kirk stevens, jimmy white and ronnie o sullivan would have not been inspired to pick up a cue.

always remember himwanting to be with his lttle girl and crying after winning the world championship.

a truely great talent.

[bannork]

Those pictures of him in his last few weeks are truly shocking, even worse than the George Best ones when he was on 'This is your life'. He certainly made snooker exciting to watch, you couldn't fall asleep like you could watching Ray Reardon or Cliff Thorburn. But I remember Steve Davis being scornful when Alex called himself the people's champion. How he used to suck on those cigarettes and knock back the vodka when he sat in the chair. Destroying his health even in his youth.

A great player but a temperament that could be vicious, I wonder if that led to him living a destitute and lonely life in his last years.