Hurricane

[RobW]

Reports suggesting that Hurricane Higgins has lost his battle with throat cancer. RIP

[diggedy derek]

Hurricane

A wild motherfcker. He made walking around the snooker table like like High Noon.

RIP

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Hurricane

His enduring popularity always baffled me a little bit, as some of his, shall we say, "wilder" antics might not have endeared him so much to a modern audience. But it's a shame he's died now at such a young age, as his gradual rehabilitation into the snooker "establishment" from recent guest feature spots on the BBC World Championship coverage seemed to be setting him up for a golden retirement sitting alongside your Griffiths, Parrotts and (maybe even) Taylors in the leather commentary armchairs.

His style of play (and, yes, some of his antics) probably single-handedly kept snooker in the headlines at a time when its sudden explosion in popularity could have proven to be a flash in the pan, in the early 80s - certainly if we'd had two or three years of Davis playing Griffiths playing Thorburn in finals, that could have been that. Instead, snooker had its own "punk rock" figure who surely inspired a lot of the brash youngsters who've come through since to play snooker instead of something far "cooler", like bowls.

[evilC]

Hurricane

I can only link to the URL for the thread - the image itself is almost too horrible for words. I remember I had to look away the first time I opened that thread.

He was one of my earliest sporting heroes, being a bit of a rebel and dynamising (is that a word?) a relatively catatonic sport. However, I thought that his later antics did make him a bit of an arse, basically. Such a shame overall, though.

[Sam]

Hurricane

Just seen the Telegraph's brief report (they're always first to send their emails out in the mornings). Apparently he got so thin because after he lost his teeth, he was too ill to undergo the operation to have replacements fitted, and as a result found it difficult to eat.

What Rogin said, really. I'm not sure I'd like him much were he around now - Ronnie O'Sullivan's capable of being a bit of a prat but nothing on Higgins' level - but he'll be missed obviously. Having been aware how he lived, though, I'm amazed he made it to 61.

[Duncan Gardner]

Hurricane

What Rogin and Sam said.

Higgins popped up occasionally in the Belfast media in recent years, either during another health crisis or (probably contrived) confrontation with punters in some back street club.

He's looked 20 years older than his real age since about 1990.

[historyman]

Hurricane

Sad news alright, RIP.

As a 9 year old kid growing up in Belfast, it was pure joy watching Higgins at the Snooker table, especially as he was 'one of our own.' Looking back now through the eyes of an adult, it's clear that he was a bit of an embarrassment and a liability. But hey, in May 1982 Belfast was a screwed up place that only featured in the news when something happened in The Troubles, and at least here was something positive that we could cling on to.

When I read the headlines this morning about the Hurricane's passing, I immediately had a flashback to that Sunday night in May 1982 when he won the World Championship. Like many if not most families at the time, we only had one TV and my older sister always but always watched that latest uber-cool import from the States, Hart To Hart. Well, it was the early '80s...

There was uproar in the house that night when my Dad and me proudly announced that we would be dispensing with the 'self-made millionare' crap and watching Alex Higgins take on Ray Reardon instead. This led to numerous bouts of stomping up and down the stairs and ear piercing screaming from my sister, but thankfully after a while she calmed down and we were able to watch a little bit of history being made.

The summer of '82 was a never to be forgotten high point in NI sport history, with the country's football exploits in the WC following on from Higgins' triumph. Being only 9, I thought that this sort of thing happened all the time. Almost thirty years later I'm still waiting.

Anyway, for all Alex's woes in recent years, at least now he's in peace. By way of tribute here's the link to arguably his greatest performance- the deciding frame of the 1982 S/F against Jimmy White.

1982

[adams house cat]

Hurricane

RIP. Nice piece Historyman. He was an arsehole but when he played at his peak he was riveting. Who was it said that during the 80s snooker was the new rock'n'roll with Higgins as its superstar? They may have been right.

He was arguably the most naturally gifted player of all and his downfall was a tragedy, albeit a predictable one. I think he needed snooker more than snooker needed him after having done so much to make it popular. I got the impression that when he no longer had his snooker he had nothing left and existed on his name and his reputation.

When it is all weighed up he only ever really harmed himself and he deserved better than he got.

RIP.

[VTTBoscombe]

Hurricane

I see a Hurricane in the Gulf area has been named ALEX -
I am not sure that this is a coincidence or was a special request to whoever names Hurricanes.

Either way rather good. RIP