Darts icon dies as tributes paid to history-making ace – ‘thanks for every little thing’
A history-making two-time darts champion who has been lauded as his country’s best-ever player has sadly died at the age of 71
Stefan Lord has died aged 71(Image: X)
A history-making two-time darts champion has sadly died at the age of 71 as tributes have been paid to the country’s best ever player.
Stefan Lord is the first and only overseas player to win the prestigious News of the World Championship, claiming the title in 1978 and 1980. The Swede also reached the semi-finals of the BDO World Championship twice.
Darts great John Lowe paid tribute to Lord on social media on Thursday, he wrote: “My good friend for many years Stefan Lord, passed away yesterday, he was a Swedish pioneer for the sport of darts, probably the most well know player in the country, winner of the News of the World twice, 1980 and 1982.
Stefan Lord is a Swedish hero(Image: X)
Make sure you never miss the most fun content in sport by making the Daily Star one of your Google preferred sources.
“We always had plenty to talk about when we met, which was in many countries around the world, Stefan made his final home in Pattaya Thailand. Thanks for the many memories Stefan, your friend John.”
Lord beat John Coward in the 1978 final and Dave Whitcombe in the 1980 News of the World final, with his first title coming in the same year he was beaten by Lowe in the BDO World Championship semi-final.
The Swede reached the semi-finals again in 1982, where he lost to the legendary Jocky Wilson. The following year he made it to the quarter-final, only to be beaten by Tony Brown.
Lord reached the BDO World Championship semi-final twice(Image: Facebook)
His final appearance in the BDO came in 1988, when he was beaten by the ‘Singapore Slinger’ Paul Lim.
Tributes continued to pour in on social media, as one fan wrote: “Sweden’s greatest darts player of all time has left us, Stefan Lord. He won the News of the World twice, 9 EM Golds in a row, and if one were to mention all the medals and awards, one would be at it for quite a while. Thanks for everything you did for the sport.”
A second wrote: “Sad news about Stefan Lord.” Another echoed: “One of the all-time greats”.
