Eric Bristow
| Eric Bristow MBE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bristow in 1985 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Eric John Bristow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | "The Crafty Cockney" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 April 1957 Hackney, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 5 April 2018 (aged 60) Liverpool, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Darts information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing darts since | 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Darts | 22g Harrows Signature | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laterality | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Walk-on music | "Rabbit" by Chas & Dave "Crazy Crazy Nights" by Kiss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Organisation (see split in darts) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BDO | 1976–1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PDC | 1993–2007 (Founding Member) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WDF major events – best performances | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | Winner (5): 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Masters | Winner (5): 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PDC premier events – best performances | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | Semi-final: 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Matchplay | Last 32: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other tournament wins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Other achievements | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire MBE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Updated on 14 May 2024. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eric John Bristow (25 April 1957 – 5 April 2018) was an English professional darts player from Hackney in East London. Nicknamed "the Crafty Cockney", Bristow was one of the most iconic and successful players of the 1980s and is credited with helping to boost the sport's popularity during that era. He continues to be regarded as one of the best darts players of all time.
Bristow was a five-time BDO World Darts Champion, a five-time World Masters Champion, a four-time WDF World Cup singles champion and a double winner of the prestigious News of the World Darts Championship (one of only seven people to do so). He was ranked world number one on multiple occasions. He regularly featured on the ITV darts-themed game show Bullseye.
In late 1986, Bristow began experiencing dartitis, which affected his career thereafter. In 1993, he became involved in the split in darts as one of the 16 players who left the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form the World Darts Council, which later became the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). His last major achievement as a player was reaching the semi-finals of the 1997 WDC World Darts Championship, losing narrowly to his former protégé Phil Taylor.
Bristow was awarded an MBE in 1989 for his services to sport. After retiring from competitive play in 2007, he worked as a commentator and pundit on Sky Sports darts coverage. In April 2018, he suffered a heart attack while attending a Premier League Darts event in Liverpool and died at the age of 60.