Here is all you need to know about Snooker player Dene O’Kane along with his age, career, bio, cause of death and more
The Snooker community is mourning the death of their greatest player who passed away accidentally.
Who is Dene O’Kane as New Zealand snooker legend passes away, cause of death, bio, age, career earnings and net worth
The NZ Herald said that the sportsman, who was hailed as the “greatest New Zealander to pick up a cue,” passed suddenly on Tuesday at Auckland Hospital after suffering a fall at his Waiheke Island home.
WST are extremely saddened by the news of Dene O’Kane’s passing at the age of 61.
New Zealand’s finest on the baize, he reached two World Championship quarter-finals in 1987 and 1992. pic.twitter.com/uZfZrHtFRs
— WST (@WeAreWST) May 15, 2024
Who was Dene O’Kane?
Dene O’Kane was a snooker player who was born on February 24, 1963, in Auckland, New Zealand.
A look at Dene O’Kane’s career
Dene O’Kane won the 1980 New Zealand Amateur Championship and represented New Zealand at the 1982 IBSF World Snooker Championship and turned professional in 1984. Despite winning six of his nine group matches, frame differential prevented him from moving on.
At his first professional competition, the 1984 International Open, he won four qualifying matches, defeating Eddie McLaughlin 5-1, Jack Fitzmaurice 5-4, Maurice Parkin 5-2, and Mike Hallett 5-4, before losing to Willie Thorne 3-1.
He also reached the World Snooker Championship last 32 and the British Open quarterfinals in his first season, losing to David Taylor 4–10. With four victories and a walkover through the qualifying rounds, he had already advanced.
Throughout the course of his 23-year professional career, O’Kane twice reached the World Championship last eight and rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s.
Despite having been in the real estate business since 2007, he recently participated in a number of senior tour matches against players like Cliff Thorburn, Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor, and former world champion Stephen Hendry.
The ten-time national champion from New Zealand won two Australian Opens and three World Masters Championships during her amateur career. In 1987, New Zealanders were introduced to the game after his incredible World Snooker Championship performances, which saw him reach the quarterfinals in 1988 and 1992.
Dene O’Kane’s rating and earnings
Up until 1996, O’Kane’s career-high rating of world No. 18 in 1991–1992 saw him finish in the top 32. He made £415,000 in 2007 before quitting the game.
Dene O’Kane’s cause of death
Dene O’Kane died aged 61 on May 14, 2024, following a fall at his home in Waiheke Island, New Zealand.