Eddie Jordan lifeless at 76: Formula One legend passes away, only a month on from his heartbreaking replace on his battle with ‘aggressive’ most cancers
- Jordan revealed last year that he was struggling with cancer that was spreading
- He gave a heartbreaking update about the ‘aggressive’ disease back in February
- On Thursday, it was confirmed that the 76-year-old had passed away
Formula One legend Eddie Jordan has passed away aged 76 after losing his battle with cancer.
Jordan, who ran his own team in Formula One between 1991 and 2005 – before continuing to be involved in the sport as a broadcaster for the BBC and Channel 4 – was also the manager of design guru Adrian Newey.
The 76-year-old was diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer last year and, on Thursday morning, it was confirmed that he’d passed away.
Shortly after, tributes for the F1 legend began pouring in. Among them was Jake Humphreys, who described it as a ‘devastatingly sad and difficult day’ for the sport.
Just last month, Jordan provided a heartbreaking update about the condition.
‘Sorry guys, just a small thing, thank you,’ he said on talkSPORT. ‘I’ve just come out of getting chemotherapy and I’m not 100 per cent together here guys.
Formula One legend Eddie Jordan has passed away aged 76 after losing his battle with cancer
Jordan, pictured with wife Marie, was diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer last year
Jordan pictured alongside Damon Hill (left) and Ralf Schumacher (right) back in 1998
‘I’m just not myself at this moment in time. I’m a little all over the place, so please forgive me.’
Announcing the illness last year, he said on his Formula For Success podcast: ‘We’ve kind of alluded to it over the shows, way back in March and April, I was diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer, and then it spread into the spine and the pelvis, so it was quite aggressive.’
‘We’ve all heard about our wonderful friend, Sir Chris Hoy, who’s an absolute megastar, and he is coming out and talking about illnesses like what I’ve got, but he’s a far younger man.
‘But this is a little message, and everybody listening to this: Don’t waste or put it off. Go and get tested, because in life, you’ve got chances.
‘And there is so much medical advice out there and so many things that you can do to extend your lifetime. Go and do it. Don’t be stupid. Don’t be shy. It’s not a shy thing. Look after your body, guys.’
Jordan’s team was named after the Irishman and entered 250 races, winning four times.
Jordan is renowned for giving Michael Schumacher his F1 debut in 1991, while Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, ended his career with his team.
Jordan served as a Formula One analyst for BBC (2009–2015) and Channel 4.
Jordan’s team was named after the Irishman and entered 250 races, winning four in total
Jordan Grand Prix achieved four Grand Prix wins, with a notable 1-2 finish by Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix
Jordan, pictured alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2014, served as a Formula One analyst for BBC (2009–2015) and Channel 4
He then worked as a pundit, while overseeing the career of design guru Adrian Newey
He was known for his punchy commentary and, back in December, urged Ferrari to rip up Lewis Hamilton’s contract after he lamented his form.
Hamilton said after a sprint race in Qatar: ‘The positive is that the car is fast and George should be able to shoot for pole tomorrow. Who knows? I’m definitely not fast anymore.
‘I’m just slow, same every weekend. Car felt relatively decent, no issues, and not really much more to say.’
Responding to the comments, Jordan urged Ferrari to back out of the contract, fearing that the British driver is ‘f***ed’ because he lacks ‘belief’.
Speaking on his podcast, Jordan said: ‘If you don’t believe 100 per cent, you’re f***ed. Do you understand that?
‘Because belief, 99.9 per cent, means that there is that tiny, little, little thing in there knocking on your head that gives you the things that maybe, ‘Oh, I don’t really have that confidence. I don’t really have the ability’.
Earlier this year, Jordan oversaw Adrian Newey’s transfer from Red Bull to Aston Martin.
He was awarded an honorary OBE in 2012 for services to charity and motorsport, and holds honorary doctorates from the University of Ulster and Dublin Institute of Technology.
Earlier in his career, he won the Irish Kart Championship in 1971 and the Irish Formula Atlantic Championship in 1978.
He also competed in Formula Ford and Formula Three, though a leg injury in 1976 sidelined him temporarily.
More to follow…
