Snooker mourns passing of Ted Lowe

Former BBC snooker commentator and television presenter 'Whispering' Ted Lowe has died at the age of 90.

Berkshire-born Lowe passed away yesterday on the morning of the first session of the 2011 Snooker World Championship Final in Sheffield, according to reports.

Lowe's trademark hushed tones earned him the nickname 'whispering Ted', and he was the BBC's lead snooker commentator on many occasions, before retiring after the 1996 World Final. He also became a household name through hit TV show Pot Black.

Jean, Lowe's wife of 21 years, said in a statement: "His health had been deteriorating for the last 10 weeks. He went into a hospice a week ago and I never left his side. But I could see he was slowly going. He still loves snooker and was watching it on TV."

John Virgo, a former player and co-commentator alongside Lowe, added: "He set a standard for us all. He was wonderful, he had an impish sense of humour and while cricket had its John Arlott and Wimbledon had its Dan Maskell, we had Ted Lowe. He was one of the BBC greats. It's a sad day for snooker and he'll be sadly missed."

Possibly Lowe's most famous commentary moment came in 1985 for the famous 'black-ball' final when Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis.

Speaking yesterday, Taylor said: "I first worked with Ted around 30 years ago. He welcomed me to the box and gave me such good advice. He was a great one to travel with. I remember many trips we took to Australia in the 1970s for the old Pot Black tournaments.

"We went by jumbo jet, and they hadn't existed for very long at that time. We used to get to go upstairs into the lounge, which was the business-class area, because of Ted, and the pilots would always want to speak to him and hear his commentary voice."

Taylor added: "He had a lovely, lovely voice. To hear his voice and have him commentating on the 1985 final makes it special. One thing I remember is him taking a long time over signing autographs too, he was so precise about that. No praise is high enough, I had such great times with him, and I couldn't have learnt from anyone better."

Posing on Twitter, former professional snooker player Jimmy White wrote: "Still in shock and so saddened. Absolutely gutted. He was a great friend of my dad's and an absolute gentleman. I loved him dearly."

At the Crucible theatre in Sheffield yesterday, a minute's applause turned into a standing ovation as former snooker players and fans marked Lowe's passing.