Snooker Icon John Virgo Dies at 79 in Spain

John Virgo, the celebrated snooker player, presenter and BBC commentator, died on Wednesday morning at the age of 79 after suffering a ruptured aorta in Spain.

Virgo passed away around 5:30 a.m. at Xanit Hospital in Benalmadena, on the Costa del Sol, just three hours after waking his wife, Rosie Ries, in pain at their home in nearby Mijas at 2:30 a.m. An ambulance rushed him to the hospital, but medical staff could not intervene in time. Close friend James Malyon, who arrived shortly before Virgo's death, said the condition struck without warning and would have been fatal even for a younger, fitter person. "It wasn't due to any underlying health issues," Malyon told reporters. "It was just completely out of the blue."

The sudden loss stunned those close to Virgo, who had appeared in fine form until recently. He had returned to Spain from the UK on Friday after commentating on the Masters final at Alexandra Palace, where Kyren Wilson defeated John Higgins. Malyon spoke with him the afternoon before his death, when Virgo and Ries had been shopping in Fuengirola. Virgo had been living full-time in Mijas since before the COVID-19 pandemic, enjoying retirement with golf, Manchester...