Former world champion Andy Fordham has died at the age of 59, the British Darts Organisation has announced.
A statement posted by the BDO on its Facebook page on Thursday confirmed the news regarding ‘The Viking’, who was one of the most popular players in the sport.
It read: “The British Darts Organisation are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of the darts legend Andy (The Viking) Fordham, a true gentleman of the game who will deeply missed by all.
“His 2004 win at Lakeside will always be remembered as the greatest moment of Andy’s career and we also knew how much it meant to him when he qualified for the Grand Slam a decade later.
“He was a great personality and a lovely man, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”
James Wade, who started out in the BDO before he switched to the PDC where he has since won 10 titles, tweeted: “God bless my friend Andy Fordham.
“What a pleasure it was been your friend and spending time with you. Thoughts are with his family. Cheers Hamlet.”