Alex Higgins dies aged 61 after long battle with throat cancer (original) (raw)

'The finest ever snooker player': Tributes pour in for Alex Higgins after Hurricane finally blows out following cancer battle

Tributes today poured in for Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins after the flamboyant former world snooker champion died at the age of 61.

Higgins, once dubbed 'the one true genius of snooker', was found dead yesterday afternoon following a battle with throat cancer.

He is thought to have passed away at his sheltered housing in the Sandy Row area of Belfast after his body was discovered there.

Heyday: Higgins relaxes between shots during the Embassy World Snooker Championships at the Crucible in 1983

Snooker's biggest stars today paid their respect to the two-time world champion who earned his nickname for his speed around the table.

Three-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan described Alex Higgins as his 'inspiration'.

The 34-year-old was moved to pursue a career in the sport after witnessing Higgins's colourful style and quickfire approach.

O'Sullivan told the Sunday Telegraph: 'Alex Higgins was one of the real inspirations behind me getting into snooker in the first place.

'He is a legend of snooker, and should forever be remembered as the finest ever snooker player.'

Frail figure: Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins, lost his teeth as a result of radiotherapy

Seven-times champion Stephen Hendry said: 'He wasn't everybody's cup of tea, but he was a great player and he'll be sadly missed.

'It was always exciting when you played him, you never knew what to expect.'

Six-times world champion Steve Davis said: 'Alex was certainly a character. We had some great matches down the years.

'You always knew you were going to get a really tough match against him. But you looked forward to that because it made you raise your own game.

'It's a really sad day for snooker.'

Dennis Taylor told the BBC: 'I don't think you'll ever, ever see another player in the game of snooker like the great Alex Higgins.'

And he said he had enjoyed some 'terrific battles' against the sportsman, adding: 'He was a very, very exciting player to watch. He just was totally unique.'

Though Higgins 'didn't look very well' towards the end of his life, he insisted: 'He battled right to the end, did Alex, and that's what he did throughout his whole snooker career.'

Barry Hearn, chairman of the sport's governing body World Snooker, said: 'All of us owe the Hurricane a great debt for what he brought the to the game.

'Alex was a controversial figure and it was never dull when he was around. We will all miss him greatly.'

Higgins's bad-boy image turned him into one of the most famous players in the world and helped popularise the sport in the Seventies and Eighties.

A friend of the late hellraiser Oliver Reed, Higgins had a well-documented drinking problem and is reputed to have earned and blown a staggering £3 million over his career.

The game he loved: Higgins for one of his last matches at the Irish Championships

The drink he loved: Higgins downs a pint of Guinness before a match in 2005

He began playing snooker at the age of 11 in the Jampot club in the working-class community of Sandy Row.

But the young Higgins initially wanted to be a jockey and at 14 he travelled to England to follow his dream.

Although he was only seven and half stone when he arrived on the mainland he quickly gained too much weight to ride professionally.

But racing's loss was snooker's again. He returned to Belfast two years later and dedicated his life to the sport that was to make his name.

Feisty: Referee Terry Riley restrains Higgins after being punched in 2007

Friends: Higgins with actor Oliver Reed and some models pose for japes in 1999

Mourning: Months later, Higgins toasts Reed as his funeral wake in County Cork

Higgins turned professional at 22, winning the world championship at his first attempt in 1972 against John Spencer.

He remained the youngest winner of the title until Stephen Hendry's 1990 victory at the age of 21.

He took the title again in 1982 after beating his old adversary Ray Reardon.

In later years, Higgins continued to play regularly, hustling for small-time stakes in local clubs.

In 2009 he entered the Northern Ireland amateur championships to 'give it a crack' but failed to appear for his match.

Drama: Higgins with police after being stabbed by ex-girlfriend Holly Hayse in 1997

Legends: Higgins and Dennis Taylor before their showdown at Preston in 1993

Towards the end of his life his battle with throat cancer drove him to despair and he considered suicide.

In April a campaign was launched to help raise £20,000 for teeth implants.

Higgins lost his teeth as a result of intensive radiotherapy, which left him living on a diet of baby food.

Guests at a fundraising dinner in May were stunned by how much the illness had taken its toll on Higgins.

One said: 'We knew Alex had been going through a hard time and had been poorly but we were still shocked by his appearance.

Glory days: Higgins being saluted by his baby daughter Lauren with his wife Lynn after winning the World Snooker Championship in 1982

Higgins married Lynn in 1980: The pair posed under an archway of snooker cues after their wedding at the United Reform Church in Wilslow

'He looked absolutely skeletal and it was clear he had not eaten a square meal in many months.

'It was such a tragedy to see him alongside all the other legends who looked so fit and well.'

Higgins was married twice, and leaves a son and daughter with his ex-wife Lynn.