By Elliott West
Introduction
Much has been said about Willie Thorne during his life and after his passing. As a friend, I think it is time I put some of this media hype to bed and reveal the warm and generous man I knew. I am not going to deny that WT had a gambling addiction which was often secretive and was the main cause for himself and the love of his life, Jill to separate. However, you have to see this as an addiction, one that took over Thorne for most of his life and caused massive frictions with friends and family. Despite losing their home and car to this illness, Jill never stopped loving her soulmate and I know from being one of the few people that was fielding calls when Willie was seriously ill at the end, Jill made regular calls to WT and was part of the support network.
Alone in the Room
I remember spending some time with my friend in Sheffield, a year before he died. Thorne was taking part in the World Seniors and in what should have been a great occasion, I did sense a true sadness in my pal. It was as if he was the elephant in the room, few people spoke to him and he just wanted to spend his time in his hotel room. I think this was an early sign that Willie knew that he was ill and he was worried about his future on his own. He was lost without Jill and now only had rented accommodation in Spain and the dogs that once shared.
I am not going to dwell on this area of Thorne’s life because I know the person that he really was. He never asked me for money and spotted my talent as a writer. I loved him dearly and always will. However, it does anger me that some in the snooker community turned their backs on him when he was dying. Don’t get me wrong, there were those that were truly supportive and I will always be truly grateful to them during that period when we had a communication chain, providing updates on Willie’s health and various hospital stays.
However since he died just over a year ago, Thorne is rarely mentioned by snooker coverage teams or the press. It is time we celebrate the great snooker player that WT was and his true skills of communication through commentary. He knew the tables, venues and players inside out and was able to gauge their mindsets and shot choices because he had been there and played most of the greats of the game. Don’t be sucked into this trap of remembering WT for his gambling addiction. He was much more than that. Yes, he was vulnerable but we all are but he could always bring that ray of sunshine into my day that few can.
