Terry Griffiths dies aged 77 as tributes pour in for former world snooker champion
Terry Griffiths won the World Snooker Championships in 1979, adding a number of other titles, and a number of snooker stars have paid their respects to the Welshman
Former world snooker champion Terry Griffiths has died at the age of 77, with tributes pouring in from the sporting world.
Griffiths won his world title in 1979 after coming through qualifying before beating Dennis Taylor 24-16 in the final. In doing so, he became the second ever qualifier to take the title at the Crucible.
"To our friends and snooker followers in general, we are deeply saddened to share the news of our loss," Griffiths' son Wayne wrote on Facebook. "Terry Griffiths OBE passed away peacefully on 1st December, after a lengthy battle with dementia. He was surrounded by his family in his beloved hometown in South Wales.
"A proud Welshman, Terry was born in Llanelli, brought pride to Llanelli and now he has found peace in Llanelli. He would not have had it any other way."
A number of figures from the world of snooker and beyond have paid their respects. Among them was another world champion, Shaun Murphy, who won the title in 2005.
"Just hearing the news that Terry Griffiths has passed away," Murphy wrote. "My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones #legend."
"Very sad news Terry Griffiths has died," commentator and former pro John Virgo wrote. "It was 45 years ago when we played in the UK final, a lovely man who will be missed. My deepest sympathy to Annette and the boys."
Pay your own respects to Terry Griffiths in the comments section
A fine amateur player in his 20s, Griffiths didn't turn pro until the age of 30. One year later, he qualified for the World Championships for the first time and went all the way, beating former world champion Alex Higgins en route to the final, where he overcame Taylor.
Griffiths reached the final of the worlds for a second time in 1988, ultimately losing to Steve Davis. He won a number of other pro and amateur titles in a long and distinguished career, including the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championships in 1982.
Fellow Welshman and three-time world champion Mark Williams was another to pay tribute to Griffiths. He shared photos of the two of them together, captioned: "Mentor, coach, friend, legend."
In a separate post, Williams explained the role Griffiths had on his own snooker career. "RIP, looked after me since playing in his club every sunday since (I) was 12 , what a legend. #thegriff," he wrote.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
