Eric Bristow the Crafty Cockney of darts dies, 60
FORMER world darts champion Eric Bristow died yesterday at the age of 60 following a heart attack.
The man known as the Crafty Cockney was at a darts event in Liverpool when he was taken ill.
As the news filtered through the Echo Arena during the Premier League Darts match, the crowd fell silent before later breaking into a mass chorus of ‘There’s only one Eric Bristow’.
The charismatic player was instrumental in transforming what had been largely a pub game into a massively popular televised sporting event that could draw huge audiences.
He was world champion five times between 1980 and 1986 and also won five world masters titles during his outstanding career.
Last night Barry Hearn, chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation, led the tributes.
‘Eric will always be a legend in the world of darts and British sport,’ he said. ‘He was a tremendous player and a huge character and even after his retirement fans would travel for miles to meet him and see him play.
‘Eric was never afraid of controversy, but he spoke as he found and was honest and straightforward, which is what people admired about him. The PDC, and the sport of darts, will miss him.’
In a statement the PDC called Bristow ‘arguably the sport’s first superstar player’. It added: ‘Bristow was one of the founder players when the PDC (then World Darts Council) was formed in 1993 as the sport’s leading stars broke away from the British Darts Organisation.
‘He was inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame in 2005 alongside great rival John Lowe, and since retiring from competition at the end of 2007 remained a popular figure on the exhibition circuit.’
Bristow also worked as a TV pundit for Sky Sports, was awarded the MBE for his services to sport in 1989, and appeared on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here in 2012.
He was born in East London on April 25, 1957, and later relocated to Staffordshire where he proved instrumental as a sponsor and mentor to 16-time world champion Phil Taylor during the early stages of his career.
Taylor went on to defeat Bristow – who was also renowned for his unique throwing style – in the 1990 world championship final, while a 6-0 defeat to Dennis Priestley the following year proved to be his last appearance in a televised final.
His final world championship, in 2000, was his 23rd of an illustrious career which saw him win over 70 professional titles.
In 1989 he married wife Jane with whom he had two children, Louise in 1991 and James in 1993.