In the aftermath of John Virgo’s sudden passing this week, the legendary rocker shared a heartbreaking snap with the late snooker icon – and there were some very famous faces in the mix too
Tributes have been pouring in from far and wide for snooker legend John Virgo, dubbed ‘Mr Perfect’ for his immaculate game, who tragically died in the early hours of Wednesday morning at his home in Mijas Costa, Spain, from a ruptured aorta, aged 79. It’s a loss that has truly rocked the sporting world – and beyond.
Yesterday, The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, 78, shared this touching photo with his 865,000 Instagram followers, showing him and snooker icons John Virgo, Jimmy White and Ronnie O’Sullivan, with the rocker’s baby twins, Alice and Gracie. The snap was taken when the tots were tiny, shortly after their birth in May 2016.
READ MORE: John Virgo’s devastated widow breaks silence over BBC star’s sudden death
“Remembering the good times with John Virgo, you are dearly missed,” Wood wrote underneath the image in homage. The Stones guitarist, whose daughters were born when the guitarist was 68 and are now nine, has been married to British theatre producer and actress Sally Humphreys Wood, 48, since December 21, 2012.
And on Wednesday, as the news of John’s death sent ripples across the world, he wrote on social media, “We will dearly miss John Virgo ‘the voice of snooker’. His passing is a very sad occasion. God bless him.”
Yet while Wood may boast four Grammys and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, around him is the who’s who of snooker, with a brimming trophy cabinet between them of an incredible 55 ranking titles.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, 50, is now widely recognised as snooker’s all-time greatest player with eight UK Championship crowns, eight Masters, and 41 ranking titles to his name. Jimmy White, 63, known as ‘The Whirlwind’ among fans for his flamboyant style of play, has 10 ranking event titles.
And John Virgo, before he became a celebrated broadcaster, commentator and TV host, co-hosting popular game show Big Break in the 90s with Jim Davidson, won four professional titles, including the 1979 UK Championship, where he defeated the reigning World Champion Terry Griffiths 14–13 in the final.
Speaking from Hong Kong in the wake of John’s death, O’Sullivan said: “Finished my match to get the news. Love to Rosie, Brooke and Gary, Such a great mate who I loved spending time with, absolutely gutted.”
John is survived by his children, Brook-Leah and Gary, and wife Rosie, who spoke to the Mirror exclusively after John’s passing, saying: We were just days shy of our 16 year wedding anniversary. I can’t imagine life without John, he was the love of my life and my best friend.”
And Jimmy White posted on social media: “Goodnight JV,” with a broken heart emoji. It’s clear John, whose famous catchphrase “Where the cue ball going?” will undoubtedly live on, will be missed by all that knew him.
READ MORE: Heartbreaking unseen final pictures of John Virgo enjoying himself before death
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
