Former-Formula 1 team owner and media personality Eddie Jordan has died, PTI quoted his family statement as saying on Thursday. He was 76.
Known simply as “EJ”, Eddie Jordan ran his own Jordan team in the 1990s and 2000s in F1. Jordan, after selling the team in 2005, became a popular pundit on TV. He was known for his humor, strong opinions and often extravagant dress sense.
Jordan was undergoing treatment for “quite aggressive” cancer of the bladder and prostate which spread to his spine and pelvis.
The family statement, published by rugby club London Irish, where Jordan was a patron, said he “passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town” early Thursday.
“EJ brought an abundance of charisma, energy and Irish charm everywhere he went. We all have a huge hole missing without his presence. He will be missed by so many people, but he leaves us with tonnes of great memories to keep us smiling through our sorrow.”
F1 chief expresses condolences:
Following his demise, F1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali, who was a senior Ferrari employee when Jordan owned his team, said Jordan was “a protagonist of an era of F1 and he will be deeply missed.”
“With his inexhaustible energy he always knew how to make people smile, remaining genuine and brilliant at all times.”
Before moving up to F1 in 1991, Irish businessman Jordan operated his own racing team in lower-level serie. He gave future seven-time champion Michael Schumacher his first race that year..
A close friend of Jordan, Flavio Briatore, who then ran Benetton and now is executive adviser at Alpine, expressed his sorrow. He said, “I am deeply saddened by the loss of Eddie Jordan. Eddie was a great individual, who for decades always brought a smile to the entire F1 paddock.”
“I have fond memories of the time spent on and off the track with Eddie, and his presence across the entire F1 world will be greatly missed.”
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