Alex Higgins, the naturally gifted but unpredictable snooker player died on Saturday July 24th, succumbing to throat cancer that was diagnosed in 1998. He was found dead in his Belfast flat aged 61.
Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins will be remembered for his fast and furious maverick style of play, endearing him to a generation of Snooker fans and bringing the game to a wider audience during the eighties when the game peaked in popularity through live television coverage.
Having won the World Championship in 1972, Higgins repeated the triumph ten years later in 1982. The image of the Irishman hugging his wife and daughter with tears rolling down his face after the 1982 final will stay with fans forever.
Higgins was recently seen as a shadow of his former self, thin and toothless, he was reported to be in Spain for dental surgery which was declined to his poor condition.
The years of heavy smoking and drug abuse as well as his uncontrollable gambling finally caught up with Higgins, but he will be remembered by fans for his genius on the Snooker table.
Alex Higgins – 18th March 1949 – 24th July 2010
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