Alexander Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010)[4] was a Northern Irish professional snooker player and a two-time world champion who is remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the sport's history.

Nicknamed "Hurricane Higgins" for his rapid play,[5] and known as the "People's Champion" for his popularity and charisma,[6] he is often credited as a key factor in snooker's success as a mainstream televised sport in the 1980s.

At the 1982 event, Higgins came from 13 to 15 behind to defeat Jimmy White 16–15 in the semi-finals, producing a 69 clearance in the penultimate frame that is regarded as one of the greatest breaks in the sport's history.

[16][17] The family lived near the Jam Pot, a snooker and billiards hall in the Sandy Row estate, which Higgins frequented from age 10, running bets for his father and doing odd jobs.

[8] He took up snooker the following year,[18][19] initially at the Jam Pot before he began practising with more challenging opponents at the Shaftesbury and YMCA clubs in the city centre.

[20] After leaving school in 1964, Higgins worked as a messenger for the Irish Linen Company, but the job was short-lived as it offered few prospects and the business was in decline.

He won several money matches and earned extra income at a paper mill near London Bridge, but he grew homesick and returned to Belfast after a year.

[32] It was here where salesman Dennis Broderick and bingo tycoons Jack Leeming and John McLaughlin recognised his talents and became his agents, buying him a flat and new clothes.

[34] The 1972 World Snooker Championship began in March 1971 and concluded in February 1972, and Higgins won the title at his first attempt, defeating Spencer 37–31 in the final.

[40] There was a miners' strike in progress at the same time as the final, and on the first evening of play, without normal power, the session was conducted with reduced light provided by a mobile generator.

[49] At the time, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) had scheduled a meeting to hear a complaint that Higgins had refused to continue in a tournament after complaining about the lighting.

"[51][50] By the end of 1974, Higgins had started to alter his attacking style of play and add more tactical and safety elements,[52] but his results remained inconsistent throughout the rest of the decade.

[54][53] In a match marred by erratic refereeing and a sub-standard table,[55] Ray Reardon pulled away to win the title for the fifth time, with the score finishing at 27–16.

[54] The 1977 World Championship was the first to he held at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, and Higgins lost the deciding frame of his first-round match against Doug Mountjoy.

[61] At the World Championship, he won the deciding frame against Tony Meo in the first round, then eliminated Mans, Steve Davis, and Kirk Stevens to reach the final against Thorburn.

[91] After losing his first-round match to Steve James at the 1990 World Championship, Higgins remained in his seat in the arena for some time, ordering several vodka and orange drinks, slouched in his chair and twitching.

[92] Afterwards, he punched tournament official Colin Randle in the abdomen before the start of a press conference at which he announced his retirement, and abused the media as he left.

This followed another incident at the 1990 World Cup, where he repeatedly argued with fellow player and compatriot Dennis Taylor, insulting his late mother and threatening to have him shot if he returned to Northern Ireland.

[103] Higgins returned to competitive action in September 2007 at the Irish Professional Championship in Dublin but was whitewashed 0–5 by former British Open champion Fergal O'Brien in the first round at the Spawell Club, Templeogue.

[108][109] In describing Higgins's unconventional playing technique, his fellow professional Willie Thorne said that "He does everything wrong: his stance is square, he lifts his head, his arm's bent, he snatches at some of his shots."

[111] Author Brendan Cooper wrote that "Beset with twitches, sniffs, and odd jerks of the limbs, Higgins would approach the table like a battered boxer trying to stay upright.

"[110] Williams and Gadsby wrote that as Higgins grew older, his "technical shortcomings became burdensome", and that he began to fail on more shots as his hand-eye co-ordination declined, but note that he maintained a world championship career lasting over two decades.

[111] Writing for the Dictionary of Irish Biography, James Quinn said that "His daredevil style thrilled audiences and inspired the kind of adulation and raucous cheering normally heard in football stadiums rather than snooker halls" but a lack of consistency and discipline meant that Higgins failed to achieve as much as his potential should have allowed.

[119][120] In 1987 he appeared with Kruger on the chat show Wogan on the day he had been fined £12,000 and banned for five tournaments by the WPBSA, apparing relaxed and saying that he accepted the sanctions.

[123] At the time of his 1972 triumph at the World Championship, Higgins related that he did not have a permanent address, and had recently lived in a row of abandoned houses in Blackburn which were awaiting demolition.

[137] In April 2010 Higgins' friends announced that they had set up a campaign to help raise the £20,000 he needed for teeth implants, to enable him to eat properly again and put on weight.

[4][141] The cause of death was a combination of malnutrition, pneumonia, tooth decay and a bronchial condition, although his daughter Lauren stated that he was clear from throat cancer when he died.

Among the snooker professionals in attendance were Jimmy White, Willie Thorne, Stephen Hendry, Ken Doherty, Joe Swail,[143] Shaun Murphy and John Virgo.

Alex Higgins was an inspiration to many subsequent professional snooker players, including Ken Doherty, Jimmy White and Ronnie O'Sullivan.

[145] Higgins arguably fulfilled his potential only intermittently during his career peak in the 1970s and 1980s; Everton puts this down to Davis and Ray Reardon generally being too consistent for him.