Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins, 1949 - 2010

It's perhaps ironic that as our guest writer chronicles the story of one fallen hero below, it falls to me to add the obituary of another to the Jimbo Finbow blog.

Alexander Higgins was born in Belfast in 1949 and initially moved to England with the intention of becoming a jockey. When his plans did not come to fruition, he switched to snooker, which he had begun playing in his local town club at the age of 11. Higgins won the first of his two world titles at 22, setting a record for the youngest ever victor that would remain intact until the appearance of Stephen Hendry in 1990. Higgins quickly earned his nickname 'Hurricane' for his speed of play and tendency towards erratic behaviour.

Despite two other appearances in the world final, it would be ten years later in 1982 that Higgins overcame his old sparring partner Ray Reardon, and the pictures of him reclaiming the world title while emotionally hugging his wife and baby daughter will perhaps be the most iconic images captured of him during his sporting career.


He was denied the world number one spot as a result of points deducted for disciplinary offences in 1983, and would go on to be charged with assault for allegedly headbutting a tournament director and punching a press officer at separate events. In 1997, he was stabbed three times by his then-girlfriend, Holly Haise.

In 1998, Higgins was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent surgery. He blamed the cigarette companies who sponsored the events at that time for the worst of his vices - in addition to cigarettes, he would frequently drink heavily and gamble five figure sums on horse racing. He also freely admitted to the use of marijuana and cocaine. It has been estimated since his death that he made and spent as much as £5 million from snooker during his lifetime.

Higgins made several attempts at comebacks but never threatened to recapture his previous glories. Much of his later life was spent attending charity matches and hustling in pubs across Ireland and northern England.

Divorced from his second wife and clearly in failing health despite the ten-year remission he had experienced from throat cancer, he had suffered from pneumonia in the spring of 2010 and his teeth had fallen out as a result of intensive radiotherapy. Well-meaning friends raised several thousand pounds so that he could have teeth implant surgery in Spain, but the operation did not take place as Higgins was judged to be too weak. He was found dead in his bed on 24 July 2010.

Despite his obvious psychological frailties, Higgins defined his sport for me in a way that only John McEnroe did in the same era. He was partly responsible for snooker's growing popularity in the early 80s and was once described by Steve Davis as 'the one true genius that snooker has produced'. It is not a bad way to be remembered.

- J