Post by wonderwall on Jul 24, 2010 20:29:43 GMT 1
Former world snooker champion Alex Higgins has died aged 61 after a long battle against throat cancer.
The two-time world champion, a heavy smoker, was reportedly found dead in his flat in Belfast on Saturday.
Recent newspaper pictures showed a painfully thin Higgins in Spain after his hopes of having surgery to get new teeth had been dashed.
Higgins lost all his teeth during his cancer treatment but was not deemed fit enough to have the surgery.
His weight had reportedly plummeted to only seven stone as he had to have all his food pureed because eating in a normal fashion had become excruciating.
Friends of the controversial snooker legend had raised around £20,000 to enable Higgins to have the surgery in Spain.
However, he was deemed too frail to undergo the operation by the Spain
Higgins was in the news in May after claiming that he had knowledge of at least four top players taking bribes to lose tournament matches.
The Northern Ireland legend also revealed that he turned down several big-money offers to throw games in his career.
Higgins, the world champion in 1972 and 1982, claimed Greek gamblers offered him £18,000 in 1979 to lose his Benson & Hedges Masters quarter-final against Perrie Mans and £20,000 to cheat at the Irish Masters in 1989 but rejected both.
The two-time world champion, a heavy smoker, was reportedly found dead in his flat in Belfast on Saturday.
Recent newspaper pictures showed a painfully thin Higgins in Spain after his hopes of having surgery to get new teeth had been dashed.
Higgins lost all his teeth during his cancer treatment but was not deemed fit enough to have the surgery.
His weight had reportedly plummeted to only seven stone as he had to have all his food pureed because eating in a normal fashion had become excruciating.
Friends of the controversial snooker legend had raised around £20,000 to enable Higgins to have the surgery in Spain.
However, he was deemed too frail to undergo the operation by the Spain
Higgins was in the news in May after claiming that he had knowledge of at least four top players taking bribes to lose tournament matches.
The Northern Ireland legend also revealed that he turned down several big-money offers to throw games in his career.
Higgins, the world champion in 1972 and 1982, claimed Greek gamblers offered him £18,000 in 1979 to lose his Benson & Hedges Masters quarter-final against Perrie Mans and £20,000 to cheat at the Irish Masters in 1989 but rejected both.
true ronnyes kool derves it but same time dat i dont t56hink ronnye craves likes wants limelight 
