RIP Eric Bristow

[The Knowledge]

His crime of saying the wrong thing seemed to be treated like he'd actually committed acts as serious as those he was speaking about. He was an idiot for saying it, but, I guess, that was him.

Hard to imagine the world of darts today without his influence.

You simply cannot say things like that in this day and age, simple.
Look at all the grief Fitzmaurice got, especially upon news of his death and all he did was tell 30 year old jokes.

How does one receive grief when one is dead?

Ignore ifm, he is upset that the Coroners Office has not replied to his emails.

[Booji Boy]

Great tribute just posted on the BDO fb page.

[markymark]

His crime of saying the wrong thing seemed to be treated like he'd actually committed acts as serious as those he was speaking about. He was an idiot for saying it, but, I guess, that was him.

Hard to imagine the world of darts today without his influence.

You simply cannot say things like that in this day and age, simple.
Look at all the grief Fitzmaurice got, especially upon news of his death and all he did was tell 30 year old jokes.

I agree, and certainly don't agree with what he said, but some seemed ready to string him up over it. A slight over reaction to a poorly thought out moment.

[Addicks Fan]

Great tribute just posted on the BDO fb page.

Yeah, love the joy on his face after the winning dart - he was the only reason I watched darts when I was a kid, and quite often it was in the hope that someone would beat the cocky sod! But more often than not he was far too good, and for me the most important darts player in history, and among the very best.

Twitter makes fools of many people, and he was definitely one of them, but I never read, listened or watched him for words of wisdom, I only cared about what he did in his sporting arena, and for me he made a simple game compelling viewing.

RIP Eric

[Canuck_bully]

Well Eric certainly timed a good exit, a wonderful tribute by the crowd and handled well by Dave Clarke and Deller in particular as cant have been easy with the news so recent. Hard for Wright and Gurney to play given the circumstances, think everyone would have loved to see Wright sign off Eric with the 9 darter!

I say almost everyone growing up in the 80s/90s and remotely interested in darts started off with a set of Bristow or Bristow endorsed darts from Argos, darts first and biggest superstar for sure. RIP Eric.

[Simrew]

I say almost everyone growing up in the 80s/90s and remotely interested in darts started off with a set of Bristow or Bristow endorsed darts from Argos, darts first and biggest superstar for sure. RIP Eric.

That was my choice for my first set, Harrows Eric Bristow red ring darts, still have them too.

[BlueSpark]

I say almost everyone growing up in the 80s/90s and remotely interested in darts started off with a set of Bristow or Bristow endorsed darts from Argos, darts first and biggest superstar for sure. RIP Eric.

That was my choice for my first set, Harrows Eric Bristow red ring darts, still have them too.

Bought some on eBay last week.
£39 quid.
First set of darts I ever had.

[Si Robin]

Yep, I started with a set of them as well.

Sad news last night. I didn't necessarily like a lot of what Eric said, but you have to admire his balls to say whatever the hell he wanted.

Darts has truly lost a legend.

[DavidB]

Also it seems a lot of my fb friends who have never mentioned darts before seem to be very sad today. #grieftourists.

Which is why Eric Bristow is and always will be the most recognised dart player, probably even in 20 years time if you asked people down a street to name a dart player they’ll say Eric Bristow.

The game today owes it to Bristow, some legacy.

RIP Eric

[Case]

Could not stand the man as a person but his legacy as a darts players is unquestionable.

His many fans will be very sad.

Also it seems a lot of my fb friends who have never mentioned darts before seem to be very sad today. #grieftourists.

I loved hearing him talk on tv, in the flesh, not so much.

He was one who made darts popular though.

[ssjsa]

DURING his 60-year life, Eric Bristow became known worldwide for his unprecedented darting achievements as well as his unique character.

The first player to win five World Championship titles, he also achieved the same number of World Masters wins in a record which stands to this day.

He also helped to launch the career of Phil Taylor by sponsoring his protege during the late 1980s - a move which came back to haunt him in the 1990 World Championship final.

Having concluded his playing career, Bristow worked for Sky Sports as both a spotter and as part of their presentation team, and remained a popular figure on the exhibition circuit.

Here, we look back on the life of darts' first superstar...

1957 - Eric Bristow born on April 25 in London.

1976 - Is given "Crafty Cockney" nickname after visiting a pub of the same name in California.

1977 - Wins World Masters title, defeating Paul Reynolds 3-1 in final.

1978 - Is defeated 6-3 by Conrad Daniels in the first round of the inaugural BDO World Championship.

1979 - Wins second World Masters title, defeating Allan Hogg 2-0 in final.


1980 - Defeats Bobby George 5-3 to win first World Championship title.

1981 - Retains World Championship title with 5-3 win over John Lowe – the first player to win the event twice.

1981 - Wins third World Masters, defeating Lowe 2-1 in final.

1983 - Runner-up to Keith Deller in famous World Championship final.

1983 - Wins News of the World Championship, defeating Ralph Flatt in final.

1983 - Wins fourth World Masters, defeating Mike Gregory 2-1 in final to become first player to retain the title.

1984 - Wins third World Championship, defeating Dave Whitcombe 7-1 in final.

1984 - Retains News of the World Championship title with 2-0 win over Ian Robertson in final.

1984 - Wins fifth World Masters title, defeating Deller 3-1 in final. This remains the most World Masters ever won by a player, with Bob Anderson and Martin Adams winning three apiece.


1985 - Retains World Championship with 6-2 win over John Lowe.


1986 - Wins fifth World Championship, and becomes first player to record three successive victories as he defeats Whitcombe 6-0.

1987 - Loses 6-4 to John Lowe in World Championship final.

1989 - Loses 6-4 to Jocky Wilson in World Championship final.

1989 - Is awarded MBE for Services to Sport.

1990 - Loses 6-1 to protege Phil Taylor in World Championship final.

1991 - Loses 6-0 to Dennis Priestley in what would become his last World Championship final.

1993 - Is one of 14 players who leave BDO to form WDC (later PDC).

1997 - Reaches PDC World Championship semi-final, losing 5-4 to Taylor following a memorable renaissance.

2000 - Bristow loses 3-2 to Steve Brown in first round of PDC World Championship, in what would be his final appearance in the event.

2004 - Plays John Lowe in curtain-raiser to The Showdown between Phil Taylor and Andy Fordham at Circus Tavern, winning 6-1.

2005 - Inducted into PDC Hall of Fame alongside great rival Lowe as the inaugural members.

2007 - Competed in final PDC tournament, losing 5-2 to Colin McGarry in last 64 in World Championship Qualifiers.

2012 - Stars in ITV's "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!", finishing fourth.

2018 - Passes away on April 5 following a heart attack.

[ssjsa]

ERIC BRISTOW'S former manager Dick Allix has paid tribute to the five-time World Champion, who passed away on Thursday.

Allix managed Bristow from 1979 to 1994 before going on to spearhead the World Darts Council (now Professional Darts Corporation) following the split in darts.

A former drummer in the band Vanity Fare, Allix was working as an entertainment promoter when he first met the prodigious talent in a chance turn of events which would change the course of darts history.

Allix remained close to Bristow and, speaking to PDC.tv, paid this tribute to a darting icon...

Eric introduced me into darts in 1979. I had no interest in darts at the time, I didn't play the game and one of the clubs we looked after in Yorkshire wanted a darts exhibition.

We all looked at each other quizzically but we were contracted to get them what they desired. Perhaps it was fate, it was meant to be.

We didn't know where to go for a professional darts player but as it happened I was reading The Sun at lunchtime and there was a column about darts by Dave Lanning, which listed the top ten players in the world.

I rang Dave - it was the first time I spoke to him and that turned into a lifelong friendship - and he told me that Eric was the top guy and pointed me in the direction of Olly Croft at the BDO.

I phoned Olly and that's probably a phonecall he regrets taking for the rest of his life. He gave me Eric's number and I spoke to him, asking if he wanted to come up to Yorkshire where we could put a week of exhibitions together.

We did the deal and he came up. I went to see the first exhibition, which I think was at the Empress Club in Hull, and they were queueing around the corner.

I couldn't believe it so I went in and I was just mesmerised by this charismatic 21-year-old.

He used to come around to the office on a lunchtime and we hit it off. Eric didn't have a manager and we knew with the whole club circuit in the north that we could work him and one thing led to another.

I started going to tournaments and met Cliff Lazarenko too, and it all took off from there. We offered Eric a contract, got him an equipment deal and it just blossomed, and we signed other players.

It was a quick intro into darts and a quick exit from the music business!

We had fantastic years with Eric, and a few blips along the way because he was a wild child. He's always been full on and has no brakes, and now and again I'd get a 3am phonecall from a station sergeant asking me to bail out my client.

But you took that with Eric, it was part of who he was. He was a lot of fun to be with and a manager's dream because of he oozed charisma and was a winner.

It was such a change for me because in the music business who's the best band is just choice, but you had indelible proof who the best darts player was - it was him!

It was great and although I still can't play the game I love the people in the game, especially the players. Eric was fantastic to work with and then we had the period where we lost all the television and then came the split.

That was instigated by me and Tommy Cox and with the full knowledge and encouragement of Eric, but as that went on it became inevitable that I would have to spend 100% of my time with the WDC and not be able to manage Eric.

He understood that because he knew that if the WDC didn't succeed, we were all dead in the water, so by making the WDC happen that would benefit Eric, Cliff and the other players.

All the way through the court case, which took a long time and was very stressful, two players came with us and sat in court every day and went to lawyer's meetings: Eric and Rod Harrington.

All the players will always owe those two a debt, and that should never be forgotten.

I'm still shocked at how big the PDC has become and I'm sure it's going to get bigger. That's fantastic, and who'd have thought that back in 1979!

[WizardofozFan]

What a stint he put in on 'I'm A Celebrity' too. Ant & Dec loved him, he made that 2012 series a special one (along with Ashley Roberts in bikinis of course). Came 4th which for a 55 year old man at the time is difficult to do with the reality world we live in now full of Kardashian lovers for some reason.

Still so sad knowing people are not being entertained by Eric, so suddenly taken from the darts world.

[ifm]

The thing is it's just so scary, we had Ray Wilkins and the next day Bristow, both heart attacks.
The problem with heart disease is there is no real definitive symptom, the films have created this impression that you feel pain in your heart or arm but though they may be symptoms they are certainly not the only ones, mine was vomiting for example.
There are no real indicators either besides a family history and there is no known cause.
If only there were a test, any early warning.

[Duterprat]

there may be no tests or warnings, but the risk factors heavy drinking and smoking, morbid obesity are well known for ages and the average darts player of that age does usually tick all 3 boxes.

My days of all these three were over in my mid twenties when i had my first "incident" (no heart attack but defunct valves) - did not prevent several minor as well as open heart surgeries up to now, but who knows if I had been able to recover without changing my lifesryle.

On topic: RIP great man, could usually barely understand him as non-native speaker, still a shame/disgrace they kicked him from Sky for some PC bullshit. Too bad that there was no darts on german TV in his heydays, and ofc no streams back in the day... but even the old youube caps give you a feeling how dominanr he was in his prime.

[ifm]

there may be no tests or warnings, but the risk factors heavy drinking and smoking, morbid obesity are well known for ages and the average darts player of that age does usually tick all 3 boxes.

My days of all these three were over in my mid twenties when i had my first "incident" (no heart attack but defunct valves) - did not prevent several minor as well as open heart surgeries up to now, but who knows if I had been able to recover without changing my lifesryle.

On topic: RIP great man, could usually barely understand him as non-native speaker, still a shame/disgrace they kicked him from Sky for some PC bullshit. Too bad that there was no darts on german TV in his heydays, and ofc no streams back in the day... but even the old youube caps give you a feeling how dominanr he was in his prime.

These are all stated as "contributing factors", in other words none cause it but as we have no actual idea we shall point fingers at them, it's similar with cancer, the "smoking causes cancer" logo they put on fag packets was a lie because there are plenty of smokers without cancer.
It all muddies the water and this is part of the problem, as there is no definite warning symptom and obviously no cure then there needs to be a test, failing that better education as to what the signals are.
My consultant told me to stop smoking, not because they cause the problem but because they inhibit the drugs he prescribed for me.
I'm not trying to argue here btw, it s genuinely an issue, i really thought you were having a heart attack when you had chest pain or your left arm ached and though that might be true it's certainly not limited to that, i delayed calling the ambulance because i had no idea i was having a heart attack, my symptoms were not the "classical" ones.

[daveboygreen]

there may be no tests or warnings, but the risk factors heavy drinking and smoking, morbid obesity are well known for ages and the average darts player of that age does usually tick all 3 boxes.

My days of all these three were over in my mid twenties when i had my first "incident" (no heart attack but defunct valves) - did not prevent several minor as well as open heart surgeries up to now, but who knows if I had been able to recover without changing my lifesryle.

On topic: RIP great man, could usually barely understand him as non-native speaker, still a shame/disgrace they kicked him from Sky for some PC bullshit. Too bad that there was no darts on german TV in his heydays, and ofc no streams back in the day... but even the old youube caps give you a feeling how dominanr he was in his prime.

These are all stated as "contributing factors", in other words none cause it but as we have no actual idea we shall point fingers at them, it's similar with cancer, the "smoking causes cancer" logo they put on fag packets was a lie because there are plenty of smokers without cancer.
It all muddies the water and this is part of the problem, as there is no definite warning symptom and obviously no cure then there needs to be a test, failing that better education as to what the signals are.
My consultant told me to stop smoking, not because they cause the problem but because they inhibit the drugs he prescribed for me.
I'm not trying to argue here btw, it s genuinely an issue, i really thought you were having a heart attack when you had chest pain or your left arm ached and though that might be true it's certainly not limited to that, i delayed calling the ambulance because i had no idea i was having a heart attack, my symptoms were not the "classical" ones.

My dad took early retirement from his career after working and traveling all over the world and retired at the age of 55 after working for the same company for over 30 years, He put himself in a position where he was needed and valuable to the company he worked for but also made it possible for him to get out with full financial benefits, he felt that he beat his employers and could relax and enjoy early retirement, it was only a year or so before he was complaining of back pains and as management, Was not through hard graft or the result of doing a hard days work.

For a couple of years more being as stubborn as he was, He refused to go and see a doctor or have anything done about his constant lower back pain, Eventually after 3 years he had to give in and go to see his doctor after he couldn't barely get out of bed for 2 days and couldn't stand up, Following a visit to his doctor, He was rushed to hospital for a triple bypass and just as they got him ready to operate on and take him in he had a heart attack, A day later with the visit to the doctor, Even a few hours more and he could have been dead, Showed no other signs of a possible heart attack before and was and still is a heavy smoker, He was always fine and never had any problems until he stopped working, All fine now though 10 years on thank god.

[Dreamboy501]

RIP

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Dannyboy]

there may be no tests or warnings, but the risk factors heavy drinking and smoking, morbid obesity are well known for ages and the average darts player of that age does usually tick all 3 boxes.

My days of all these three were over in my mid twenties when i had my first "incident" (no heart attack but defunct valves) - did not prevent several minor as well as open heart surgeries up to now, but who knows if I had been able to recover without changing my lifesryle.

On topic: RIP great man, could usually barely understand him as non-native speaker, still a shame/disgrace they kicked him from Sky for some PC bullshit. Too bad that there was no darts on german TV in his heydays, and ofc no streams back in the day... but even the old youube caps give you a feeling how dominanr he was in his prime.

These are all stated as "contributing factors", in other words none cause it but as we have no actual idea we shall point fingers at them, it's similar with cancer, the "smoking causes cancer" logo they put on fag packets was a lie because there are plenty of smokers without cancer.
It all muddies the water and this is part of the problem, as there is no definite warning symptom and obviously no cure then there needs to be a test, failing that better education as to what the signals are.
My consultant told me to stop smoking, not because they cause the problem but because they inhibit the drugs he prescribed for me.
I'm not trying to argue here btw, it s genuinely an issue, i really thought you were having a heart attack when you had chest pain or your left arm ached and though that might be true it's certainly not limited to that, i delayed calling the ambulance because i had no idea i was having a heart attack, my symptoms were not the "classical" ones.

These are all important points.
I hope as a legacy there is some sort of campaign to improve the health and fitness of dart players.

Cadby for example shouldn’t be the size he is at his age.

[ChrisW]

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