Snooker legend Willie Thorne passes away after suffering respiratory failure

WILLIE THORNE has passed away after suffering from respiratory failure aged 66, the snooker legend had been placed into an induced coma on Sunday by doctors, the news of his death was announced on his GoFundMe this morning.

Julie O’Neill, who set up the page, wrote that Thorne went into septic shock overnight and he stopped responding to treatment. Thorne was taken to hospital last week with dangerously low blood pressure as he bravely battled leukaemia.

Thorne had been receiving treatment for the disease since March, his condition worsened last week so much so that initially it was dangerous to move him, he was taken to hospital by an ambulance and had remained in intensive care ever since.

Things worsened on Sunday when Thorne went into respiratory failure and was placed into an induced coma, with medical ventilation.

Thorne previously underwent three blood transfusions and treatment for a virus after his diagnosis in March as well as MRI scans and heart checks following his admission to the Torrevieja Hospital in Spain on May 2.

To add to that, the 66-year-old was also faced with both gout, which causes swelling and pain around the joints, and a water infection once treatment for the leukaemia began.