Alex Higgins

Alexander Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010) was a Northern Irish professional snooker player and a two-time world champion, remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the sport's history. Nicknamed "Hurricane Higgins" for his rapid play, and known as the "People's Champion" for his popularity and charisma, he is often credited as being a key figure in snooker's success as a mainstream televised sport in the 1980s.

After turning professional in 1970, he won the World Snooker Championship in 1972, defeating John Spencer 37‍–‍31 in the final to become the first qualifier to win the world title, a feat that only three other players have achieved since: Terry Griffiths in 1979, Shaun Murphy in 2005, and Zhao Xintong in 2025. Aged 22, he was then the sport's youngest world champion, a record he held until 21-year-old Stephen Hendry won the title in 1990. Higgins was world championship runner-up to Ray Reardon in 1976 and Cliff Thorburn in 1980. At the 1982 event, he recovered from 13‍–‍15 behind to defeat Jimmy White 16‍–‍15 in the semi-finals, producing a 69 clearance in the penultimate frame which is regarded as one of the greatest breaks in the sport's history. He defeated Reardon 18‍–‍15 in the final, winning his second world title ten years after his first.

Higgins won Masters titles in 1978 and 1981 and won the UK Championship in 1983, where he recovered from 0‍–‍7 behind to defeat Steve Davis 16‍–‍15 in the final. As of 2023, he is one of eleven players to have completed a career Triple Crown. He won the World Doubles Championship with White in 1984 and competed alongside Dennis Taylor and Eugene Hughes on the all-Ireland team that won the World Cup three consecutive times between 1985 and 1987. He won his last professional title at the 1989 Irish Masters, defeating Hendry 9‍–‍8 in the final. He failed to qualify for the professional tour in 1997‍–‍98 and played his last professional match in August 1997.

Remembered for his turbulent lifestyle, Higgins was a heavy smoker, struggled with drinking and gambling, and admitted to using cocaine and marijuana. He had tempestuous relationships with women—both of his marriages ended in divorce, and he had widely publicised altercations with other girlfriends, one of whom stabbed him three times during a domestic argument. Known as an unpredictable, difficult, and volatile character, he was often disciplined by the sport's governing body, most notably when he was fined £12,000 and banned for five tournaments in 1986 after head-butting an official, and banned again for the entire 1990‍–‍91 season after punching another official and threatening to have Taylor shot. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998 and died of multiple causes in his Belfast home on 24 July 2010, aged 61.