The Scouse snooker legend paid tribute to his late, great friend who sadly died today aged 79
18:23, 04 Feb 2026
John Parrott has paid tribute to John Virgo in an exclusive interview with the ECHO(Image: PA)
We lost one of the greats of snooker today as John Virgo sadly died aged 79. The commentator leaves behind an incredible legacy as he will forever be renowned as the voice of snooker who transcended his sport.
To John Parrott, he was even more than that as the Scouser paid tribute to his close friend and racing partner in an exclusive interview with the ECHO. The 61-year-old said he found out about the sad news when he was contacted by a fellow snooker legend this morning as he was preparing for the day ahead. He said: “I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth and Ken Doherty rang me.
“I knew something was up because we’ve got a WhatsApp group we all speak on, but we don’t ring at those times. When I got the phone call early on, I knew something was wrong and we’re all devastated.”
The Liverpool born snooker legend said the news came as a surprise as Virgo was showing no signs of ill health. He added: “I was working with him two weeks ago and Ken has just come back off holiday with him.
“He was working the other night doing a couple of gigs so it has come as a shock. He had such a great vitality of life. It was only a couple of weeks ago he was in the commentary box doing what he absolutely loves. More than anything, he loved the job he had.”
John made friends with the legendary player turned broadcaster early on his own career. The two played exhibition matches in Liverpool and struck up an immediate bond, as he added: “We realised straight away that we had a very similar sense of humour.
“We both loved sports. He was a big Manchester United fan. Of course I’m a big Everton fan. But we also had a love for horse racing. I’ve lost my racing partner because me and him would be chatting away.
“Last week we had breakfast for an hour talking about the Cheltenham Festival coming up. He was looking forward to that. We were very similar with what we liked. It was immediately [clear] we were going to get on. And we both absolutely loved a laugh. There was no way we weren’t going to get on.”
John Virgo was a champion snooker player during his career(Image: PA)
Virgo may have been born in Salford but he always endeared himself to a Liverpool crowd as John recalled the showmanship he was so renowned for during those exhibition games. He said: “He was doing the impersonations around the table as well. You not only got the exhibition, he’d do the Alex Higgins and Terry Griffiths. He brought the house down when he did them.
“When you do a show, it’s not just about potting the balls, it’s about entertaining the crowd and he could certainly do that.” It was this ability to entertain that made Virgo such a natural in front of the camera and why he was the ideal person to front the game show Big Break.
John went on to forge his own career as a media personality after he retired and he said he wouldn’t have been able to do this without Virgo forging the way. He said: “It taught me a lot about how to be an entertainer, how to entertain a crowd, how to have them in the palm of your hand.
“It’s not just potting balls, it’s about giving people good value in entertainment and having a night out. I learnt a lot from him as I did indeed from the commentary box when I first started because the art of that is it’s not as simple as people think. Knowing when to speak and when not to is an art in itself.”
John Virgo was a prominent broadcaster who become the voice of snooker after he retired(Image: Getty Images)
Virgo gave so much to the sport he loved and John said snooker has lost one of its true icons today as he paid tribute to how he will always be synonymous with the game. John said: “Across the board he could do everything. He was a player in his own right, a major champion. He won the UK Championship in 1979 so he had the capability to play at the top of the game.
“But then when he went to the commentary box, his voice was synonymous with the sport and he was brilliant at it. The snooker came on, you heard the voice, it was like having a nice comfy pair of slippers.
“You could settle into your couch, listen to the commentary and it was going to be done by someone who was very good at his job and absolutely loved the sport. He kept the snooker going and he had a life that was rich and full.”