Phil Taylor has led the tributes to Australian Kyle Anderson following the tragic news that the PDC player has died at the age of 33.
Anderson was an immensely popular figure on the PDC circuit and played in seven World Championships after making his debut in the 2012-13 event - and held a PDC Tour card from 2014 until this year.
Both of his career highlights came in 2017 when he captured the Players Championship, and followed that with a first televised title at the Auckland Darts Masters . He also had a nine-dart finish in the World Championship to his name.
Anderson, who was diabetic, had returned to Australia at the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year and contracted Covid-19 during 2020. He relinquished his tour card in January as he opted to stay at home for family reasons following the birth of his second child.
PDC referee Russ Bray confirmed the sad news this morning, tweeting: "I am absolutely devastated to hear Kyle Anderson has passed away. A nicer person you could not wish to meet. A lovely man and a good friend."
Taylor, 61, was then among those to promptly pay further tribute.
"What terrible news to wake up to," tweeted the 16-time world champion.
"What a nice friendly man. RIP pal. Thoughts go to all your family."
PDC president Barry Hearn also spoke warmly of the man dubbed 'The Original': “We send our condolences and best wishes to Kyle’s family and friends at this terribly sad time, particularly his wife and children.
“Kyle’s achievements in his short-lived career were outstanding, notably his Auckland Darts Masters win, and a fitting reward for the sacrifices he made to follow his dream.
“He was a popular player on the Tour and his talent and dedication made him an inspiration to other players around the world.”
Three-time world champion Michael Van Gerwen tweeted: “A lovely man and always fun to be with, very sorry to hear about Kyle. We had many great games and a fantastic player. A credit to Australian and world darts. RIP mate.”
And former BDO world champion Stephen Bunting posted: “Absolutely gutted hearing the news this morning. RIP Kyle Anderson. The darts world hasn’t been the same with you not around brother. You always made me laugh every time we met. Never a dull moment with you around. We are all gonna miss you mate."
