Tributes paid to Australian darts player Kyle Anderson after his death aged 33
The Australian darts player Kyle Anderson has died at the age of 33, the Professional Darts Corporation has confirmed.
Anderson played in seven PDC world championships after his debut in the 2012-13 event and held a PDC Tour card from 2014 until this year. He returned to Australia at the start of the pandemic last year and relinquished his Tour card in January this year as he opted to stay in his homeland for family reasons.
The Queensland-based player tested positive for Covid-19 soon after returning to Australia from the UK in March 2020, spending four weeks in self-isolation. He posted a picture, seemingly of himself in hospital, on his Instagram account on 10 August with the caption: “Getting all too regular now.”
The PDC president, Barry Hearn, said: “We send our condolences and best wishes to Kyle’s family and friends at this terribly sad time, particularly his wife and children. He was a popular player on the Tour and his talent and dedication made him an inspiration to other players.”
Nicknamed “The Original”, Anderson’s greatest spell on the circuit came in 2017 when he won a Players’ Championship and the Auckland Darts Masters. He reached the third round of the 2019 world championship and also hit a nine-dart finish against Ian White at Alexandra Palace in 2014.
“Such awful news to wake up to, Kyle you [were] the nicest person in darts, always had time for everyone,” wrote Gerwyn Price, the current world champion. “You will be sadly missed. Sending all my love and strength to your wife and young family, RIP brother.”
Born near Perth, Anderson was an Indigenous Australian who wore shirts with designs inspired by his heritage while playing. No cause of death has yet been announced for Anderson, who also had diabetes.
The three-time PDC world champion Michael van Gerwen tweeted: “A lovely man and always fun to be with, very sorry to hear about Kyle. We had many great games and a fantastic player. A credit to Australian and world darts. RIP mate.”
Simon Whitlock, who played alongside Anderson for Australia in team events, wrote: “Totally gutted. Not only a brilliant player but a very nice man.”