Eric Bristow

Eric John Bristow (25 April 1957 – 5 April 2018) was an English professional darts player from Hackney in East London. Nicknamed "the Crafty Cockney", Bristow was one of the most iconic and successful players of the 1980s and is credited with helping to boost the sport's popularity during that era. He continues to be regarded as one of the best darts players of all time. Bristow was a five-time BDO World Darts Champion, a five-time World Masters Champion, a four-time WDF World Cup singles champion and a double winner of the prestigious News of the World Darts Championship (one of only seven people to do so). He was ranked world number one on multiple occasions. He regularly featured on the ITV darts-themed game show Bullseye. In late 1986, Bristow began experiencing dartitis, which affected his career thereafter. In 1993, he became involved in the split in darts as one of the 16 players who left the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form the World Darts Council, which later became the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). His last major achievement as a player was reaching the semi-finals of the 1997 WDC World Darts Championship, losing narrowly to his former protégé Phil Taylor. Bristow was awarded an MBE in 1989 for his services to sport. After retiring from competitive play in 2007, he worked as a commentator and pundit on Sky Sports darts coverage. In April 2018, he suffered a heart attack while attending a Premier League Darts event in Liverpool and died at the age of 60.