Alan Hughes dead: Legendary ‘Voice of Snooker’ behind Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jimmy White’s nicknames passes away
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ALAN HUGHES, snooker's "greatest ever MC", has died - with tributes pouring in for the man who gave iconic stars their famous nicknames. The "Voice of Snooker" turned Ronnie O'Sullivan into "the Rocket" while Jimmy White became "The Whirlwind of London Town".
![[Alan Hughes was a famous face and voice at the Crucible]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/alan-hughes-snooker-960263837.jpg?strip=all&w=401)
And fans of the sport are saluting Hughes as the finest compere in World Championship history - a well-loved Crucible figure for decades. He was also MC at 42 boxing title fights, involving golden-age legends such as Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, as well as having played for Tottenham alongside greats like Jimmy Greaves.
![[Ronnie O’Sullivan was one of several snooker icons who owe their nickname to Hughes, whose death has saddened the world of sport]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ronnie-osullivan-england-chalks-cue-957913528_30c253.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Hughes "oozed showbusiness" as he whipped up snooker's Crucible crowds and helped make the sports heroes even bigger household names. And he once explained to the BBC that he never went full on with his football career so he could carry on as a stage entertainer too.
![[Exciting cuer Jimmy White saw his nickname rebranded by Hughes]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/jimmy-white-england-plays-shot-900095089.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Hughes said: "In those days you could sign part-time forms and that's what I did. "I could combine the football with a summer season at Great Yarmouth and it would fit together nicely because the football year wasn't too long. You could never do it now.".
![[Canadian star Cliff Thorburn, known for his cautious style, was the first snooker player to get the Hughes treatment with his name, becoming 'the Grinder']](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cliff-thorburn-cm-canada-reacts-881347850.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Later it was his passion, warmth, knowledge and sheer professionalism that made him such a success in snooker. Hughes told his website: "When I came into snooker the players were just known by their names and I just thought that the players had more about them than that.
