Tributes have been paid to Andy Fordham, the popular darts player and 2004 British Darts Organisation (BDO) world champion, who has died at the age of 59. A statement posted by the BDO on its Facebook page on Thursday confirmed the news. “We are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of the darts legend Andy ‘The Viking’ Fordham, a true gentleman of the game who will deeply missed by all,” the statement said. “Our hearts and thoughts are with his family at this time.” “Just heard the devastating news that Andy Fordham has passed away,” former darts player Bobby George wrote on Twitter. “He was a gentle giant and loved by all. Our condolences go out to his wife Jenny, family and friends. RIP Andy Fordham, the Viking.” The two-times PDC world champion, Adrian Lewis, wrote: “Sad to hear the passing of a legend, Andy Fordham. Our thoughts are with his family.” The 2018 PDC world champion, Rob Cross, said: “Such sad news that Andy Fordham has died. A true legend and gentleman of the sport. My thoughts are with his family and friends.” Fordham, nicknamed “the Viking”, was a much-loved figure on the BDO darts circuit following his breakthrough appearance in 1995. Having lost four world championship semi-finals at Lakeside, he won the title in 2004 with a thrilling 6-3 final victory over Mervyn King. In November of that year, Fordham was forced to withdraw from a pay-per-view match with the PDC world champion, Phil Taylor after feeling unwell on stage. He suffered a stroke in 2007 after collapsing before his opening match at the world championships. Speaking to the Guardian’s Donald McRae later that year, Fordham said he struggled with his new-found celebrity after winning the world title. “It’s not me. A lot of it was very difficult,” he said. Fordham also admitted that pre-match nerves contributed to excessive drinking which exacerbated his health issues. “You’re walking out in front of a few thousand people,” he said in 2007. “There are television cameras and you don’t want to make yourself look like an idiot. It just took away the edge of nervousness.” Fordham focused on tackling his health problems following his stroke and made only occasional tournament appearances, but made a memorable comeback at the 2015 Grand Slam of Darts, where he won his first televised match for 10 years. Darts News reported that Fordham died on Thursday morning. He had continued to suffer poor health in recent years, going into hospital in March 2020 for a bowel operation and then testing positive for coronavirus in early 2021.