Eric Bristow

Just back from my Thursday night drink with the boys (ok, miserable old gits like me) to learn that Eric Bristow has died aged a mere 60.

The Crafty Cockney was a show off but also a show man and a great entertainer who probably did more to popularise the game of darts than anyone else.

A five times World Champion (think that's right) and an almost regular fixture on the awfully watchable Bullseye whose host Jim Bowen also passed away in the last month.

PS Surprised that there's apparently no Darts section on 606v2. Anyway, tv was also where he belonged.

An absolute megastar and legend of Darts. The only guy to have won 5 unified World Championships. Every man and his dog would've known who Eric was in the 80's.

Taylor might have the stats but I'd still regard Bristow as the biggest star Darts has ever seen.

I did wonder myself where the Darts section went!

Hi Freek - yes, I think younger posters would be very surprised as to how well known Bristow was at the height of his powers and how great a darts player he was seen as.

In reading his obituaries today, I came across this classic from the late darts commentator Sid Waddell in circa 1985: ''When Alexander of Macedonia was 33, he cried tears of salt because there were no more worlds to conquer ... Bristow's only 27.''

Sid put Shakespeare in the shade during his prime!

there was a darts section, theres a pdc season thread

anyway sad news about bristow, just missed him at his best but certainly watched him latter on when he was taking on a young taylor.

Yes, there was a darts section, but it was deleted for reasons unknown (lack of activity?).

Anyway, very sad to hear about Bristow, though not entirely unsurprising. I, of course, knew him better as a commentator, but his impact on the game cannot be understated.