It was announced on Sunday, that one of Llanelli’s greatest sons Terry Griffiths OBE had sadly passed away.
A proud Welshman, Griffiths won the World Championship in 1979 and the Masters in 1980 before completing snooker’s ‘Triple Crown’ in 1982 by winning the UK Championship.
He was also crowned BBC Wales Sport’s Personality of the Year in 1979.
After retiring as a professional player in 1997, Griffiths turned his hand to coaching and mentored many icons of the game, including Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, Ronnie O’Sullivan and many more.
He was also a successful snooker commentator and was admired by snooker fans across the world.
Carmarthenshire County Council Leader Cllr Darren Price paid tribute, on behalf of the Council.
“Terry Griffiths will be remembered as a true snooker legend, whose battles with the likes of Alex Higgins, Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis inspired generations of snooker fans across the world,” he said.
“There was no doubting Terry’s pride in his hometown of Llanelli – his amazing accomplishments put Llanelli, Carmarthenshire and Wales on the map.
“Whilst working as a commentator and pundit, his strong Llanelli accent was an informative, intelligent and warm expert guide to millions of snooker viewers, whilst his love for the town was evident by his establishing the Terry Griffiths Matchroom in Llanelli during the height of his playing career.
“Our deepest condolences are extended to Terry’s family and friends following his passing.”
Dennis Taylor, who was beaten by Griffiths in the 1979 final, said he was "one of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet".
"I managed to see Terry on Saturday, his son Darren brought me in to Llanelli hospital and we did a lot of reminiscing because we go back so far,” he said.