Eric Bristow, who died aged 60 of a heart attack, used to drink 16 pints of Guinness in a night while smoking non-stop before finishing the night by eating a curry

Darts legend Eric Bristow passed away aged 60 after suffering a heart attack. And while he was shocked and saddened by his friend’s sudden death, Bobby George had known he was on a self-destructive path.

Bristow, known as the Crafty Cockney, won five World Masters during a storied darts career. He was the archetypal player of the 1980s scene, drinking, smoking, romancing and partying as hard as he played the sport.

After a whirlwind life, which contained almost as many pints of Guinness as treble 20s, Bristow died on April 5, 2018 from a heart attack before a ­ Premier League event in Liverpool. His death shocked George, who had been with his friend hours earlier and stayed the night in a pub ran by Bristow’s driver in Stoke.

Writing in ‘Still Here! The King of Bling’, as reported by The Sun, George said: “Eric Bristow’s death hit me hard. He was only 60 for f***’s sake. That’s no age these days, is it? I had known him since he was a ­teenager – and he never changed.

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