Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins may be gone but memories of his outrageous talents and his equally outrageous behaviour left a lasting legacy in Hong Kong.
Fans, friends and associates, who came to know him during his heyday in the 80s, will never forget the mercurial Northern Irishman who left an indelible mark wherever he played. The two-time world champion died last Saturday in Belfast at age 61 after a 12-year battle with throat cancer.
A Hurricane by name and by nature, Higgins was never far away from controversy on or off the table. Celebrated as the flamboyant star who blazed a trail that led snooker into the modern era, Higgins' achievements on the baize were tempered by his hedonistic lifestyle and erratic, often scandalous, behaviour.
He played here at least four times, first in 1979 when he challenged now-retired English pro Graham Miles in a one-off exhibition. By 1986 he made his third visit to Hong Kong, winning the Kent Masters. And one of his last appearances came at the 1989 Hong Kong Open, which he dominated - but only in terms of generating controversial headlines.
Higgins' hellraising misadventures are well documented and memories of his 'bad boy' image will linger on with those who had the pleasure - or sometimes displeasure - to have met him. He was an unpredictable character and nearly always difficult, as former public relations guru Des McGahan, who worked on snooker events in the 1980s, found out.
'He was absolutely crazy. He was seriously into drugs and drinking at the time and his career was ebbing,' said McGahan, who came to know snooker's 'wild man' the hard way.