Ray Reardon: Six-time world champion dies aged 91 - 'He put snooker on the map'
Updated 20/07/2024 at 14:18 GMT+1
Ray Reardon, widely regarded as one of snooker's greatest-ever competitors with six World Championship titles, has died aged 91. Reardon, who was a dominant force in snooker in the 1970s, passed away following a battle with cancer, his wife Carol confirmed. Reardon was renowned for his charismatic presence off-the-table, and his astute tactical approach on it.
Welsh snooker player Ray Reardon takes part in the 1974 Norwich Union Open Snooker Tournament (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
Snooker legend Ray Reardon, who dominated snooker in the 1970s with six World Championship titles, has died aged 91.
Reardon, an iconic figure and renowned as one of the best to grace the snooker table, passed away following a battle with cancer, his wife Carol confirmed.
Nicknamed "Dracula" due to his iconic widow's peak hairstyle, Reardon claimed his maiden World Championship in 1970, sparking a dominant spell which also saw him claim world titles in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1978.
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Reardon was a leading figure in snooker history due to his presence in the sport as it began being broadcast on the BBC with the introduction of colour television. He was ever-present as snooker started to receive extensive live coverage, and dominated the sport in its early years of being broadcast.
Mark Williams, three-time Crucible king, led the tributes by saying: “Ray is one of the best sports people ever from Wales and the best snooker player. He’s one of the reasons why a lot of us started playing.
"He put snooker on the map, alongside Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Steve Davis. Anyone playing now owes them a lot because they brought popularity to the game. He is a real inspiration.”
Reardon grew up working in mines before becoming a police officer in Stoke-on-Trent. Meanwhile, he built his reputation as an amateur snooker player, winning the Welsh Amateur Championship every year from 1950-1955, and the English equivalent in 1964.
The six-time world champion took up professional snooker in 1967, at the age of 35, and never looked back.
His World Championship debut ended in a quarter-final defeat against Fred Davis, but he won the trophy for the first time the following year.
Reardon's record sixth world title win was his most iconic, defeating Perrie Mans 25-18 to clinch the trophy at the age of 45, making him the oldest world champion in the process.
That record was broken by Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2022, while his modern-day record of six world titles was not matched until Steve Davis levelled the record in 1989.
Reardon remains the oldest winner of a ranking title. He beat Jimmy White in the 1982 Professional Players Tournament final aged 50. Soon after, he beat White again to win the 1983 International Masters, his final title.
Renowned as one of snooker's great tacticians, Reardon mentored Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2004 to aid with the strategic side of his game. Reardon was awarded an MBE in 1985, while also inducted into the snooker Hall of Fame in 2011.
In one of his final interviews in 2023, Reardon spoke to snooker commentator David Hendon about still having the love for playing snooker. Just weeks after his 91st birthday, the six-time world champion made a century break.
“I still enjoy playing snooker," he said. "Some days you are in a little world of your own, you can pot anything and nothing distracts you. It’s fantastic, magic.”
Following his win over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, Judd Trump paid tribute to Reardon as a "legend of the game."
"You hear the way everyone speaks about him. I think he meant a lot to everyone in the game. I think especially the Welsh players owe a lot to him," Trump said about Reardon after his semi-final.
"I think you've seen how much respect he's got from Ronnie. I think Mark Williams always uses a picture of them two together so you can tell what he means to all the players.
"He's obviously a legend of the game and someone that goes down in the history book of Welsh sport and was a flagbearer for Welsh snooker. It's a very sad day for Welsh snooker, and best wishes to his friends and family."
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