Former snooker star Willie Thorne has died at the age of 66.

Willie announced he had been diagnosed with leukaemia in March, and was placed into an induced coma in hospital in Spain over the weekend after suffering respiratory failure.

News of his death was announced on Wednesday on a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for his treaatment, where it was revealed he had died earlier that morning. 

A message from his friend and carer Julie O’Neill read: “It is with a very heavy and broken heart that I have to officially announce that at 1.55am this morning Willie Thorne lost his battle and passed away.”

She continued: “Willie went into septic shock and was not responding to any treatment so the decision was made by the hospital to turn off the machines

“I was with him all the way to his end and reading out messages to him from people. He passed away very peacefully and without pain listening to his children saying they love him… that gives me some comfort in this difficult time.”

Julie added that she and Willie’s family will be “making plans” regarding his memorial, which she said she will keep fans informed about.

She had been updating fans on the fundraising page, which had raised almost £20,000 to help with Willie’s treatment.

During his snooker career, Willie reached two World Championship quarter-finals and won the Mercantile Credit Classic in 1982.

He later moved into TV, covering the sport as a commentator for the BBC, and for Sky Sports from the 1990s until coverage was dropped in the mid-2010s.

In 2007, he also competed on the fifth series of Strictly Come Dancing alongside Erin Boag, although the pair were voted out just three weeks in to the competition.

Willie’s friend Gary Lineker was among the first to pay tribute, tweeting: “Deeply, deeply saddened to hear that my friend Willie Thorne has passed away. One of life’s great characters.

“A marvellous snooker player and a lovely man, who’s potted his final black much too soon. RIP Willie.”

World Snooker tweeted: “We are deeply saddened to hear that the Great WT himself, Willie Thorne, has passed away at the age of 66. It’s a great loss to our sport. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time. RIP Willie.”

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn added: “I had the pleasure of managing the Great WT as part of the Matchroom team in the 1980s. He was a larger than life personality and he was a major part of the rebirth of snooker at that time.

“It’s so sad to hear he has passed away and our thoughts are with his family.”