RIP Alex Higgins

[Pintolager]

I am just watching SSN and the news has broken that Alex Higgins has passed away after a long battle with throat Cancer.

I grew up watching Higgins on the telly and he is part of the reason why I loved the sport of Snooker - he was different to all the other players around at the time with his style of play. I am sure there will be plenty of tributes to him from people within the Sport and beyond. In his own right he was a legend. Died age 61.

[grayx]

Pintolager wrote:

I am just watching SSN and the news has broken that Alex Higgins has passed away after a long battle with throat Cancer.

I grew up watching Higgins on the telly and he is part of the reason why I loved the sport of Snooker - he was different to all the other players around at the time with his style of play. I am sure there will be plenty of tributes to him from people within the Sport and beyond. In his own right he was a legend. Died age 61.

I agree. Alex (& Jimmy White) were the ones I always watched.No such characters now. Shame.

[hoolahoop]

Sad very sad at his best like most genii he was mesmeric and mercurial but at his worst self-destructive in the extreme.
I hope he finds peace, I loved watching him play.

[BobG]

Me too chaps. He came to give a show at the University I attended. His fee was about 20 quid plus all the booze he could drink. He was pissed - and he was sodding fantastic on on the table. Another George Best really.

Cheers

BobG

[jucyberry]

Poor , poor man..He was such a brilliant player, back in the days when snooker was such a huge game..

I spent many, many afternoons and evenings before we got married round my father-in-laws house with my brother in laws, all sitting round the TV watching him play. they were alll quite fanatical about it, probably still are come to think of it.

Looking at the last photos of him, such a vibrant handsome personality reduced to a mere husk was was painful to see .

 I hope finally that he is at peace.

[CusworthRovers]

Yep as a teenager, all the lads got into snooker cos they wanted to be like Alex. Loads of us would go down to the snooker club at Thorne and all tear round the table, constantly sniffing, moving our heads to the side, chalk the cue really quick, another sniff, and a quick movement of the head, site the cue ball, head up quickly, head down again, head up, head down again, and then smash the red. Unfortunately we could never pot it.

I'm sure there will be a place at the heavenly bar alongside Besty and Reedy

[Jonathan]

I missed his generation but have seen a lot of archived footage so fully respect his talent. Charismatic, unpredictable genius - great for the game of snooker and will be missed.

I saw a photo of him a few months ago looking dreadfully ill, a sad end to quite some life.

[Filo]

Another flawed genius, out of the same mould as Best and Gazza, a true snooker legend RIP The Hurricane!