John Virgo was looking forward to huge milestone before sudden death says pal Dennis Taylor

EXCLUSIVE: John Virgo was looking forward to huge milestone before sudden death says pal Dennis TaylorFavourite stories about the legendary John Virgo will be shared today by snooker greats and pals of the man dubbed ‘Mr Perfection’ at a memorial service in Sheffield CathedralCommentsSportMarc Baker and Hannah Britt, Senior Reporter Mirror Features07:00, 16 Apr 2026View 5 ImagesDennis Taylor, John Virgo's friend of 50 years and fellow commentator(Image: BBC)Family and friends of the late great John Virgo will gather today at Sheffield Cathedral for a memorial service. It will be an emotional occasion for his friend of 50 years and fellow commentator, Dennis Taylor, who will be covering the World Snooker Championships, which start on Saturday at the Sheffield Crucible.‌It will be a bitter sweet tournament for Dennis, 77 - winner of the 1985 World Snooker Championship - without John, who died suddenly from a ruptured aorta on February 4, aged 79. He tells The Mirror: “Everyone is going to miss his commentary when the snooker starts this weekend. I know I will. All his catchphrases like ‘where’s the cue ball going?’ will be missing. It is not going to be the same. Will I say any of John’s catchphrases? Nah. I used to use ‘where’s the cue ball going?’ But John made it his own. What a showman, what a commentator and what an entertainer he was. He had it all.”‌READ MORE: Heartbreaking unseen final pictures of John Virgo enjoying himself before deathAs well as his great personal loss, Dennis - who is returning to Sheffield for his 26th year on commentary duty for the BBC - will greatly miss John as a colleague. He says: ”One of the greatest memories we shared in the commentary box was watching Ronnie O’Sullivan in 1997, when he made that famous 147 maximum break in five minutes and eight seconds. That was one of the greatest moments in the history of snooker.”‌View 5 ImagesSteve Davis, Dennis Taylor, Ken Doherty and John Virgo during an exhibition match on day fifteen...