Former snooker champion Alex "Hurricane" Higgins was found dead in his Belfast home on Saturday, July 24th, succumbing to a twelve year battle against throat cancer.

Six-time champion Steve Davis described his former rival as one of the few geniuses around the table. "To people in the game he was a constant source of argument, he was a rebel," Davis said. "But to the wider public he was a breath of fresh air that drew them into the game. He was an inspiration to my generation."

Higgins claimed the world champion's crown at his first attempt, aged 22, and took it back again 10 years later from Ray Reardon at the Crucible in Sheffield. He will be best remembered for winning his second world championship in 1982 when, in tears, he invited his wife Lynn and baby daughter Lauren to join him by the baize with the trophy.

A heavy smoker, Higgins had cancerous growths removed from his mouth in 1994 and 1996 and was told in 1998 that he had throat cancer.

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