A one time great, reduced at times to pool hall hustling. But I still remember THAT final. A colourful character who played some beautiful snooker. All the best Hurricane.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jul/24/alex-higgins-snooker-dies-61

Alcoholic wife beating scum. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

One of the true characters in a world full of snooker dullards.

Alcoholic wife beating scum. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
pissed up paddy who had it all and blew the lot
I dont go for this I cant help being an alcoholic bit show restraint most of us can its just an excuse

Bugga 🙁

Still makes me laugh thinking about the time he was playing a game on TV with a pot or something on his foot, hopping around the table for every shot.

Just watch this years sports 'personality' of the year (personality? Oh how we laughed?) and mourn the death of someone who had one.

He used to drink in my mates local in Levi Vegas. He would regularly keel over sideways off ab bar stool he was so drunk. You'll never see his like again. Thats for sure. And what do we get instead? ****ing self-obsessed dullards! Thats what

Hadn't seen him round for a while – last time I saw him was one evening in the Ddsbury co-op (he variously lived round here over the years) buying a couple of light refreshments for the evening.

Still had that hat on then….

I saw him about 2 years ago in a snooker "display" with Jimmy White in Bolton.

Alex looked and sounded nearly dead then.

Maybe that snooker ball I bought off him will be worth something now then….

A character indeed.
In his successful years he lived in a large house in Cheadle and was often seen staggering home from a heavy night on the beer, even at the height of his fame. A friend once gave him a lift back from the pub, Higgins was so grateful.

His ex-wife (Not the nicest of women) still lives up the road from my mum.

Hard to know which side to take on this.

On the one hand, he was always entertaining to watch, and brought some much-needed flair and showmanship to the sport. Arguably, the game wouldn't be what it is today without him.

On the other hand, he was a master of self-destruction. He was an alcoholic with an 80-a-day habit and no stranger to the old nose candy. He had a rotten temper and a … 'difficult' personality. By the end he was ruined, both financially and physically.

On the third hand, strikes me that here's a man who clearly needed help and never got it. (or maybe he did and didn't accept it, who knows)

I dont go for this I cant help being an alcoholic bit show restraint most of us can its just an excuse

what an incredibly ignorant.. insensitive and blinkered attitude.. luckily most of us have never glimpsed the circumstances that can lead to an addiction.. or understand the horror of fighting an addiction.. or the relief that can come from simply giving in to an addiction..

walk a mile in another mans shoes before you judge them..

Genius in his day. I could care less for the rest of his 'life'

walk a mile in another mans shoes before you judge them..

Well said.

throat cancer – not a death I'd wish on anyone.

walk a mile in another mans shoes before you judge them..

Then if he gets cross at you, he's a mile away and barefoot.

throat cancer – not a death I'd wish on anyone.

Agreed, cancer's horrible generally, but after smoking 80 a day it's not like it was unavoidable…

walk a mile in another mans shoes before you judge them..

I don't need to get pissed up and beat the shit out of my girlfriend every friday night to know that would make me a ****.

I have some sympathy for those strugling to live on the bread line, in dead end jobs without much hope, making the wrong decisions in life out of desperation.
But he had a talent that would have allowed him to build a life prettymuch however he wanted it to be, what he chose was a path of destruction for himself and pain for those close to him.

me mum used to serve him in the bookies she worked in, according to her he was a pisshead dick.

Yeah some people on hear really don't understand alcoholism. And I hold those that wish a slow and agonising death on others equal to or below someone who allegedly assaulted their wife.

It always amazes me the hatefull bile somepeople spew on here. But then thats true of a lot of forums, sad mean spirited people tapping away on their keyboards. I'll remembe Higgins as someone who entertained millions with his sometimes brilliant snooker and zest for life. His personal life was just that, surely not to be judged by people who didn't know or even met him.
R.I.P Alex Higgins I'll raise a glass to you down the pub tonight.

what an incredibly ignorant.. insensitive and blinkered attitude.. luckily most of us have never glimpsed the circumstances that can lead to an addiction.. or understand the horror of fighting an addiction.. or the relief that can come from simply giving in to an addiction..

walk a mile in another mans shoes before you judge them..

Oh god another bleeding heart liberal

I almost daily deal with alcoholics. We have our regulars from various social backgrounds, ages also vary. They are all very appreciative of not being I'll judged and sterotyped. Every now and then we get one who's illness caches them up. It's sad and disturbing if your the one who gets the call. They have sympathy it's a terrible ilness.

It's a lifestyle choice like drugs.

……..and you choosing to be a tw4t.

Still, you probably can't help yourself.

Should've known it would get the response that we've seen from some 🙁

I guess some people feel the need to point out the errors of one's ways right down to roaring through a megaphone as one is lowered into the grave. No great surprise really.

It is to certain extent but some of the reasons that forced them on such a path weren't. I'm sure the ones I knew to be sexual abused as kids didn't choose to have that happen.

One of the most inspirational experiences of my life was to once be allowed (with a friend who was a member) into a closed meeting of the AA. It was a very large and very packed meeting, and for a couple of hours or so, I heard AA member after AA member recount their life's experience.

The stories they each told about their lives, their experiences, the horrendous shit they had gone through, and the devastating damage done by alcohol, and also in a great many cases by drugs, was truly tragic. And it certainly put the little problems in my life into perspective. I found it hugely inspirational for me to deal with my little problems in life, as I heard them recalling the battles which they had fought, and the mountains which they had climbed.

I found the whole experience very humbling. And I also felt very privileged that they allowed me to have an insight into their struggles with their personal demons.

Of course for alcoholics there is never a 'final victory', it is a daily battle which they must constantly fight – which is why they always start off with : "my name is so-and-so and it's days/weeks/months/years since my last drink". So they will of course sometimes fcukup, and have to pick themselves up, and then once again, walk down that difficult road.

I found it all very impressive, and it certainly helped me understand a whole lot better what being an alcoholic actually means. And it's surprising just how little I knew about alcoholism, not least because my father was an alcoholic. An alcoholic who's life was seriously fcuked up by alcohol – although he did manage to eventually mostly regain control. In his case btw, I'm fairly sure that alcohol was used to blot out some very nasty experiences, in a very nasty war.

Humbling ernie.

I don't need to get pissed up and beat the shit out of my girlfriend every friday night to know that would make me a ****.

No, you don't, but then you're thankfully not someone with quite debilitating mental health problems. Or certainly not someone whose problems have led them to substance addiction. Think yourself lucky. Because if you were, then maybe you'd have some empathy with Alex Higgins. I accept there is a degree of personal responsibility and control that we all must strive to achieve, but Alex Higgins was clearly not someone who could exercise such discipline over themselves. That doesn't excuse his actions, but taking a moment to try and think why a person acts the way they do can go a long way to being able to help them.

Oh god another bleeding heart liberal

yes.. that is exactly what you would assume that I am sunshine.. gloriously insightful.. was one of your parents an alcoholic? Did they beat you? Maybe it was an uncle of yours? Maybe YOU are an alcoholic in denial..? you site beer among your interests…

It's a lifestyle choice like drugs

You are either completely missing the point I tried to make.. and by doing so proving my assertation that you are an ignoramus..
or you are a troll..

either way.. I have some very liberal things to do.. first of which involves jumping in the shower..

night all..

Yes I like beer I have a couple and then stop it's called restraint

that's nice.. when did you learn this lifeskill?
who taught you?
were you fortunate enough.. dare I say priviliged enough.. to be in an environment where you could learn it for yourself at an early age?
did you learn through example perhaps?
who provided those examples?
were they good examples or bad?

the questions are as endless as your blinkeredness..

grow up you silly person.. seriously

Same here Cider. But then I don't suffer from the problems that afflicted Alex Higgins. And I hope you never do either.

jeez a bloke cant get a brake, even in death, my nan used to enjoy wayching him play , R.I.P hope you are now at peace, dues paid i recon.

I've witnessed, up close, 4 alcoholics in the last 2yrs, 2 rented rooms from me, 2 were neighbours. I also have a relative headed that way too – when I asked last week how much he (her husband) drinks, she said she has no idea, yet she does the household shopping, she recycles the cans & he does his drinking at home. I do wonder that if you’re surrounded by weak-minded people, how much of a contributing factor this must be.

All 4 would be surprised to hear I describe them as alcoholics, but they drink to get drunk, one definition of alcoholism, although there's no, one, defining definition.

They have to want to give up. Higgins had to want to give up. How much sympathy can you ultimately expend on a anyone who doesn't do something to succeed & stop? Some may well consider Higgin's lifestyle as a self inflicted wound.

George Best, Higgins, I wonder, is Paul Gascoigne next?

How much sympathy can you ultimately expend on a anyone who doesn't do something to succeed & stop?

You have to also ask if your notion of succeeding matches that of the person you're judging.. quite often the two ideas will be very very different..

The great inspirational people who gave us the most in science,art,politics were never perfect, einstein, van gogh and churchill but with out them our lives would be poorer. Alex higgins is the snooker equivalent RIP

I also have a relative headed that way too – when I asked last week how much he (her husband) drinks, she said she has no idea, yet she does the household shopping, she recycles the cans & he does his drinking at home. I do wonder that if you’re surrounded by weak-minded people, how much of a contributing factor this must be.

Let's hope you're never in such a position to rely on someone who loves you to the extent that they will continue to support you in spite of your problems.

Genius in his day. I could care less for the rest of his 'life'

Sweet Jesus, is that annoying. Where the fun were you educated?