Tragic Higgins was ‘victim of fame and fortune’

FAME and fortune led Alex “Hurricane” Higgins down a destructive path of alcohol abuse, which ultimately caused his death.

Speaking at the snooker player’s funeral service, Dean of Belfast Houston McKelvey said Higgins was a victim of “two of the greatest temptations possible” – fame and fortune.

During the service, held at St Anne’s Cathedral, Dr McKelvey said the snooker champion, who died alone at the age of 61, had encountered both at a very young age and found it difficult to cope. “He was not the first to find this difficult and he certainly will not be the last,” Dr McKelvey told mourners, including Higgins’ former wife, daughter and son, and snooker greats Jimmy White, Stephen Hendry, Ken Doherty and Willie Thorne.

Dr McKelvey also warned against judgmental comments on the life of the controversial champion, who had an explosive temper and whose drinking often attracted negative headlines.

“Many people, informed and ill-informed, have commented publicly on Alex, his life and his lifestyle over the past few days.” he said. “It has been a media-fest fed by a public which turns, often like a shoal of piranha fish, from one personality to another.

“There are few Irish families that I know of who don’t have their own ‘character’ to cope with in the family system. The only difference being that their character was not quite so famous,” Dr McKelvey said.

Yesterday, however, Higgins was remembered fondly as the “people’s champion”, with daughter Lauren saying: “I will smile whenever I hear your name, and be proud you were my dad.”