Terry Griffiths an ‘inspiration’ – world champion Mark Williams

As well as the 1979 World Championship, Griffiths won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982 to complete snooker’s ‘Triple Crown’.

He reached a career-high third in the world rankings, and in 2007 was made an OBE for his services to the sport.

Griffiths was also a much-loved television commentator and pundit for the BBC.

“I went to see him not so long ago,” Williams told BBC Sport Wales. “We were talking, although I’m not sure he knew who I was because he was quite bad at the time [with dementia].

“But all of a sudden he jumped up and said ‘Come on, let’s go to the club’ where my boy was playing the junior competition and we ended up walking to the club arm in arm….and that was probably the last time I saw him.”

Griffiths’ final match was the first round of the 1997 World Championship, where he was beaten in a final-frame decider by a 22-year-old Williams who was making his Crucible debut.

“He always gave me stick for that, saying I was the one that retired him because it was his last match,” Williams added.

“I think I beat him 10-9 on the black, and he always gave me stick, but he was so funny, dry, you could say anything to him, every time you were out with him you couldn’t stop laughing.

“I will just remember how he helped, not just me, but every player. If you ever needed advice growing up, he was always there for everybody and I think everyone will say the same thing, I don’t know anybody who would say a bad word about him.

“I will just remember all the help he gave me over the years. I won the world title with him coaching me, that was fantastic. He will be sorely missed.

“That’s two Welsh legends we’ve lost in the last year with him and Ray Reardon, it’s sad times and there’s not much more you can say.”