Terry Griffiths, a former world snooker champion, passed away at the age of 77 following a protracted fight with dementia, according to his family.
In addition to winning the Masters and the UK Championship to clinch the sport’s prestigious “triple crown,” Griffiths, a native of South Wales, advanced through the qualifying rounds to win the 1979 Crucible title as a qualifier.
Griffiths developed into a skilled instructor in later life, motivating players like Mark Allen, Mark Williams, and Stephen Hendry.
One of the first people to honor Griffiths on social media was three-time world champion Williams, who called him a “legend, friend, mentor, and coach.”
What a legend of a man who influenced my life and career on and off the table, Allen continued. Heartbroken beyond belief. He was family, not just a coach.
“To our friends and snooker fans in general, we are profoundly heartbroken to relay the news of our loss,” Griffiths’ son Wayne wrote on Facebook.
After a protracted fight with dementia, Terry Griffiths OBE died quietly on December 1. He was in his cherished hometown of South Wales, surrounded by his family.
Terry is a proud Welshman who was born in Llanelli, gave the town pride, and now finds tranquility there. There is no other way he would have it.
Griffiths was a mainstay at the top of the sport throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, making it to the World Championship final in 1988 after making it to at least the quarterfinals nine times in a row.
After losing to Williams in the first round of the 1997 World Championship, he decided to withdraw from competition.
Shaun Murphy, a former world champion, said on X: “I just learned that Terry Griffiths died. I send his family and loved ones my sincerest sympathies.
Griffiths was called a “all-time snooker great” in a statement released by World Snooker, which also said, “Our profound sympathies to Terry’s family and many friends.” Everyone in the sport admired and appreciated him.
“We regret to inform you of the passing of WBSA President Terry Griffiths OBE,” the Welsh Billiards and Snooker Association announced. We offer Terry’s family our sincerest sympathies.
