Darts legend Jocky Wilson dies aged 62

Jocky Wilson, the darts player who transformed himself from a miner into darts world champion, has died aged 62. The two-times world champion enjoyed a successful career after turning professional in 1979 to his retirement in 1996.

The former miner worked at the Seafield Colliery in Kirkcaldy, Fife, before entering the sport as it gained popularity with television audiences.

A rival of Eric Bristow, Bob Anderson and John Lowe, Wilson's world title wins came in 1982, when he beat Lowe 5-3 in the final, and again in 1989, when he beat Bristow 6-4. A consistent player, he reached at least the quarter-finals of every world championship between 1979 and 1991.

After retiring, Wilson withdrew from public life and returned to Kirkcaldy from Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, where he had moved in the 1980s. He had been suffering from the lung condition, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease.

Bobby George, the two-times world championship runner-up, wrote on his Twitter page: "Farewell John Thomas (Jocky) Wilson. We had some great times together."