Eric Bristow. RIP

[STEVIE B]

Aged just 60. Terrible news 

[HankMarvin]

Socking RIP

[Izzy]

Fvckin hell. Can't believe it. 

[iamafox]

Not another one 

[STEVIE B]

Heart attack apparently. 

[EastAnglianFox]

Still in shock, so so very sad, have known Eric off and on since 2011 as part of my job is organising and attending sport/dart exhibitions.

 

Even when 10 pints down still was quicker than most with a witty reply or put down (many aimed at me over the years) but always got away with it with a big grin and then a big kiss on your head ?

 

Has had a troubled last couple of years espescially and in all honesty started to distance himself from many at events to just sit at the bar on his own which just seems all the more sad now.

 

Rest well big man x

 

 

[irishfoxkev]

Omg flicking thru tv channels the other day stumbled on darts world final back in the day when played in Jollies Stoke on Trent. I think it was the crafty cockneys first win  beating Bobby George....Another  one taken far too young RIP 

[The Bear]

He was at the Premier League darts tonight and just keeled over apparently. Very subdued atmosphere after that understandably.  

[PAULCFC]

Meet him at the Grand Slam at Wolverhampton,Liked his Guiness! RIP RIGHT LITTLE FINGER!

[NorthfieldsFox]

Can’t believe they went on with the darts ! 

 

Shocking disrespect to the man ! He made darts really and it seems they just carried on and started the show with him dying or dead in the arena 

 

RIP Eric 

 

 

[PAULCFC]

23 minutes ago, PAULCFC said:

Meet him at the Grand Slam at Wolverhampton,Liked his Guiness! RIP RIGHT LITTLE FINGER!

 

[Wymsey]

https://mobile.twitter.com/dangerousattack/status/982009022650966017/video/1

[PAULCFC]

There's a thing on his utube about when he firts started darts,not good on links...but it starts on a train i think.RIP

[Donut]

He basically made darts.

 

Without him, Bob Anderson, Mike Gregory, Dennis Priestley, there would be no PDC.

 

They were prepared to form a breakaway because of dwindling sporsorship money, and a game that was seen as a lager louts pub past time to many.

 

He then spurred on a generation of players, obviously Phil Taylor but the likes of John Part, Alan Warriner, Peter Manley all emerged to compete with him. And then later, a myriad of players from across the globe, many from Holland.

 

Guys are now playing for a top prize of £400,000 in the world championship, and Premier League darts has prime time billing on sky sports, just like the event at the winter gardens, dublin, the UK Open, the Grand Slam.

 

I saw Eric at an exhibition 2 years ago. He was in good spirits, but riddled with dartitis and unable to throw.

 

He was still doing counting for sky and commentary too.

 

Very sad to lose yet another sporting icon.

 

[The Horse's Mouth]

on a triple 20, how he would've wanted it

[The Guvnor]

Very sad news, a real character who elevated darts to the world stage.

[BlueSi13]

Remarkable scenes at the Echo Arena where it happened last night.  Very sad.  He was a huge reason why darts is what it is today.

 

Surely they will rename the world championship the Eric Bristow trophy.  Always found it weird that it's named after a commentator who never even played darts.

[RonnieTodger]

Crazy. Apparently it just came up on the big screen whilst the game was going on. You'd assume he was probably chatting with the players before their matches.

 

Really sad. 

[mancunianfox]

23 minutes ago, BlueSi13 said:

Remarkable scenes at the Echo Arena where it happened last night.  Very sad.  He was a huge reason why darts is what it is today.

 

Surely they will rename the world championship the Eric Bristow trophy.  Always found it weird that it's named after a commentator who never even played darts.

No way is that getting renamed, you are perhaps hugely under estimating how important and loved Sid Waddell was. Bristow defo deserves something named in his honour though.

[BlueSi13]

1 hour ago, mancunianfox said:

No way is that getting renamed, you are perhaps hugely under estimating how important and loved Sid Waddell was. Bristow defo deserves something named in his honour though.

Oh I absolutely understand how popular he was (not sure about important as like I say he never actually played the game) but to name your WORLD championship trophy after him is something I've always found odd.  How well known was he outside of the UK for example?

 

Bristow definitely needs something big.

[Jimothy]

4 minutes ago, BlueSi13 said:

Oh I absolutely understand how popular he was (not sure about important as like I say he never actually played the game) but to name your WORLD championship trophy after him is something I've always found odd.  How well known was he outside of the UK for example?

 

Bristow definitely needs something big.

Thing with things like naming trophies is unless you have one stand out pioneer then it just means ignoring others. As someone mentioned early he was part of a group who took darts to a new level and changed it, so why does it have to be a race to die to be honoured? And what happens when someone like Taylor, who won it 15 times dies, does he not deserve the honour? And then would it be unfair and disrespectful to remove Bristows name? And what if someone passes Taylors record? It's just minefield littered with opinions and opportunity for people to feel disrespected. I thinks it's just better left alone, and maybe naming a venue in his honour, close to where he grew up or something.

[ScouseFox]

the matchplay is already named after taylor tbf. 

 

there'll be a lot of ways to remember bristow by everyone involved in darts, I doubt it's going to get that political. he'll have a tourney or a trophy named in his honour and that'll be a nice touch. and that'll be that. 

 

[mancunianfox]

Anyone looking to find out a bit more about Bristow's career could do a lot worse than watching this brilliant BBC documentary about the rise of darts in the 70's and 80's.