The people of Belfast have paid a warm tribute to hometown hero Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins as a book of condolence was opened for the tragic snooker legend.
Young and old queued up at City Hall to pen their own personal reflections on the life of the maverick showman of the table.
The troubled sporting genius was discovered dead in his sheltered home near Belfast city centre on Saturday after years battling throat cancer.
Locals and tourists alike paid their respects amid calls for the city to stage a funeral on the scale of the one which marked the death of fellow Belfast man George Best five years ago.
Friends of 61-year-old Higgins have already vowed to send the enigmatic two time world champion off in style, using £10,000 raised for his medical treatment to fund a lavish funeral.
Local man Martin Murphy was among the first to sign the book on Monday morning. "I thought he was a legend of snooker - a genius just like George Best," he said. "I have always admired him for his stand and for the things that he done.
Lord Mayor Pat Convery, who said it would be the family's decision as to how the funeral would be conducted, said the book of condolence was a fitting gesture.
The SDLP representative added: "I think it is important that the citizens of Belfast are given this opportunity to write something in memory of a sporting legend that they felt was one of their own and helped to put Belfast and this country on the map."
Higgins' body was discovered after concerned friends broke into his flat having failed to contact him by phone.
It is not known how long he had been dead inside the sheltered accommodation apartment in the Sandy Row area where he grew up.
