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Alex Higgins starved to death - Jimmy White on loss of his f

Postby Wildey

Alex Higgins starved to death - Jimmy White on loss of his friend the Hurricane

Snooker legend Alex Higgins starved to death after refusing to eat, his close pal Jimmy White revealed last night.

He said the desperately weak former world champion snubbed pleas from friends and family and dropped to a shocking six stone.

His body ravaged by years of hard living, hellraiser Higgins, 61, had lost his teeth after battling cancer and been keeping himself alive in his final weeks by drinking Guinness.

Snooker star Jimmy, 56, said: “He died from lack of nourishment. We’ve lost a genius and one of the greatest champions of the game.”


Anguished Jimmy last night revealed he cried for hours after hearing close friend Alex “Hurricane” Higgins had died.

He said he had watched in agony as the emaciated snooker legend had wasted away due to his refusal to eat.

Higgins had recently got the all clear from throat cancer but radiotherapy had robbed him of his teeth – forcing him to survive on pureed food and Guinness.

Gaunt and haggard from years of excess, former hellraiser Alex could barely lift a snooker cue by the time he died and he weighed just six stone.

Opening his heart about the bond he shared with the ex double world champion, Jimmy, 56, said: “I was crying all yesterday. I’m absolutely devastated.

“I was in awe of him. I didn’t always agree with what he did but I loved him. I have lost a friend and I will remember him forever.

“Alex took snooker in the 1970s to the heights which it reached in the 80s – that was all down to him.”

Higgins’ body was already ravaged by years of boozing and hard living. But it was his battles against throat cancer which left him a shadow of his former self. Jimmy watched his friend slowly deteriorate in the last three years despite him getting the all clear.

He revealed divorced dad-of-two Higgins ignored constant pleas from friends and family to eat healthily. Speaking from Thailand where he has been playing in a tournament, Jimmy said: “In the end it wasn’t cancer that killed him, the cancer had gone, he died from lack of nourishment, how sickening is that?


More on the Story Here http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... -22440114/

Re: Alex Higgins starved to death - Jimmy White on loss of h

Postby Casey

Most people have good in them somewhere, for some its deeper down than others. Jimmy could see the good in Alex, purity possibly.
Many will not understand what it was, they can only take it upon themselves to criticise Alex, I suppose that is their right through their own perception.

Maybe Alex had his own constant battle between good and evil from within himself, his only release was through alcohol which is sad in its own right.

Maybe in death he will finally have found the peace he has been searching for all his life.

Re: Alex Higgins starved to death - Jimmy White on loss of h

Postby Wildey

to understand the bitterness of his later life you got to understand where he came from.

he was the goose that layed the golden egg and people took advantage of him throughout his life so he found trust very hard that is where jimmy white comes in he showed himself a friend through thick and thin not just during his prime which so many did.

jimmy white saw the good side of Alex because no matter what Jimmy showed respect to him and was a friend through it all.

Re: Alex Higgins starved to death - Jimmy White on loss of h

Postby Wildey

N_Castle07 wrote:Hopefully this will be a wake up call for White and he will have a good look at his own lifestyle. It would be very sad if White died in similar circumstances.


LOL

whites lifestyle is nowhere near what Alex was .....yes he liked a drink and possibly at one point he was in danger of going down that path in the late 80s early 90s but hes pulled himself from there.

Re: Alex Higgins starved to death - Jimmy White on loss of h

Postby JohnFromLondonTown

wildJONESEYE wrote:LOL

whites lifestyle is nowhere near what Alex was .....yes he liked a drink and possibly at one point he was in danger of going down that path in the late 80s early 90s but hes pulled himself from there.


:chin: You sure about that?

Re: Alex Higgins starved to death - Jimmy White on loss of h

Postby Wildey

JohnFromLondonTown wrote:
wildJONESEYE wrote:LOL

whites lifestyle is nowhere near what Alex was .....yes he liked a drink and possibly at one point he was in danger of going down that path in the late 80s early 90s but hes pulled himself from there.


:chin: You sure about that?

yes

nobody on earth has lived the life he had.

Re: Alex Higgins starved to death - Jimmy White on loss of h

Postby Noel

wildJONESEYE wrote:to understand the bitterness of his later life you got to understand where he came from.

he was the goose that layed the golden egg and people took advantage of him throughout his life so he found trust very hard that is where jimmy white comes in he showed himself a friend through thick and thin not just during his prime which so many did.

jimmy white saw the good side of Alex because no matter what Jimmy showed respect to him and was a friend through it all.


You make an important point wild!

With greatest respect not only for their unparalled talents, the friendship and bond between Jimmy and Alex is also the stuff of legend!

I have often thought of them, over the years, like a kind of Don Quixote and Pancho Sansa.
"Don Quixote " was a novel written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1602.
It's one of the greatest novels ever written and it's themes remain current... "
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" (2011), is an upcoming Terry Gilliam film adaptation.
Quixote is a skinny little idealist, probably mad, dreamer who goes on a whole series of adventures in which he sees himself as "heroic", aided by the "everyman", who, though not sharing his master's delusional "enchantment", remains his ever-faithful companion realist, and functions as the clever "sidekick", Pancho Sanza.
Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote, and provides comments throughout the novel, known as sanchismos,
that are a combination of broad humour, ironic Spanish proverbs, and earthy wit. "Panza" means 'belly' .
They are inseperable. Like beer and... more beer.

Someone proposed a sculpture be put up somewhere in memory of Alex.
Well-deserved. I propose that at sometime in the inevitable future another sculpture tribute be erected
in honour not only of snooker greatness but friendship... something like this...



Image


Only... Jimmy and Alex.


=o)

Noel

Re: Alex Higgins starved to death - Jimmy White on loss of h

Postby Witz78

JohnFromLondonTown wrote:
wildJONESEYE wrote:LOL

whites lifestyle is nowhere near what Alex was .....yes he liked a drink and possibly at one point he was in danger of going down that path in the late 80s early 90s but hes pulled himself from there.


:chin: You sure about that?


Regrettably Wild, i have to agree with John on this one. Jimmys constantly in exhibitions where the drink is laid on continuously. I was at an exhibition he did a few months ago and the drinks were flowing at a ridiculous pace. I love to socialise and have a drink myself but cos of work im just a weekend binge drinker i guess but if id the lifestyle of Jimmy i could imagine id succumb to temptation all the time too.

You only have to look at Jimmy since he emerged from the Jungle having lost a lot of weight, im sure hes bigger than ever now. But i love Jimmy and dont begrudge him his lifestyle choices, thats what makes him the 2nd Peoples Champion <ok>

Re: Alex Higgins starved to death - Jimmy White on loss of h

Postby Roland

Witz78 wrote:
N_Castle07 wrote:Hopefully this will be a wake up call for White and he will have a good look at his own lifestyle. It would be very sad if White died in similar circumstances.


I think we can safely say that Jimmy wont die of malnutrition ;)


:redneck: