Snooker legend Ray Reardon, who dominated the sport in the 1970s with six world championship wins, has died aged 91.
Reardon, an iconic figure and renowned as one of the greatest players to ever grace a snooker table, has passed away after a battle with cancer, his wife Carol confirmed.
Nicknamed “Dracula” because of his iconic widow’s peak hairstyle, Reardon won his first world championship in 1970 and went on to dominate the sport, winning further world titles in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1978.
Reardon was a key figure in snooker history as he was involved with the sport from the time the introduction of colour television saw it begin to be broadcast on the BBC. He was ever-present when snooker became widely broadcast live, dominating the sport from its earliest days.
Three-time Crucible king Mark Williams paid tribute: “Ray was one of the greatest sportsmen to ever come out of Wales and the greatest snooker player of all time. He was one of the reasons so many of us took up snooker.”
“He put snooker on the map alongside Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Steve Davis and everyone playing now owes a lot to them for making the game so popular. He’s a real inspiration.”
Reardon worked in the coal mines before becoming a police officer in Stoke-on-Trent, during which time he built a reputation as an amateur snooker player, winning the Welsh Amateur Championship every year from 1950 to 1955, and the English equivalent in 1964.
The six-time world champion took up professional snooker in 1967, aged 35, and never looked back.
His World Championship debut ended in a quarterfinal loss to Fred Davis, but he won his first title the following year.
For Reardon, his record sixth world title win was the most iconic, as he defeated Perry Mans 25-18 to win the trophy at age 45, making him the oldest world champion in history.
The record was broken by Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2022, but his modern-day record of six world titles stood unmatched until 1989, when it was equalled by Steve Davis.
Reardon is the oldest player to win a ranking title. He defeated Jimmy White in the 1982 Pro Players Tournament final at age 50. Shortly after, he beat White again to win the 1983 International Masters, his final title.
Known as one of snooker’s great tacticians, Reardon coached Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2004, helping him with the strategic side of the game. Reardon was awarded an MBE in 1985 and was inducted into the Snooker Hall of Fame in 2011.
In one of his final interviews of 2023, Reardon spoke to snooker commentator David Hendon about the love he still has for playing snooker. Just weeks after his 91st birthday, the six-time world champion achieved a century break.
“I still enjoy snooker,” he says. “Some days I’m in my own little world, I can pot anything and nothing’s going to get in my way. It’s wonderful, it’s magical.”
After his win over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, Judd Trump hailed Reardon as a “legend in tennis”.
“I’ve heard what people have been saying about him and I think he’s meant a lot to everybody in the game and I think the Wales players in particular owe a lot to him,” Trump said of Reardon after the semi-final.
“You all know how much Ronnie respects him. Mark Williams always uses a photo of them together so you can see what he means to all the players.”
“He was obviously a legend of the game, a historic figure in Welsh sport and a flag-bearer for Welsh snooker. It’s a very sad day for Welsh snooker and our deepest condolences go out to his friends and family.”