KEN Doherty has hailed Eddie Jordan as ‘one of the greats of Irish sport’ after the motorsport legend’s death at the age of 76.
The man behind Formula One’s Team Jordan died from an ‘aggressive’ form of prostate and bladder cancer.
Ken, 55, shared this photo of them at a function alongside Irish rugby great Keith Wood and former FAI CEO John Delaney[/caption]
Jordan was the founder of Team Jordan, which enjoyed a lot of success when F1 was its peak in terms of popularity[/caption]
His fellow Dub saluted him as a ‘great character’ as well as a high-achiever in his sport[/caption]
The Dubliner had only revealed that he was dealing with the illness in December.
A family statement said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eddie Jordan OBE, the ex-Formula 1 team owner, TV pundit and entrepreneur.
“He passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town in the early hours of 20th March 2025 at the age of 76, after battling with an aggressive form of prostate cancer for the past 12 months.
“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.”
Jordan was the face of Irish motorsport throughout the 1990s in much the same way that Doherty flew the flag for the country in snooker over that decade.
So it was fitting that the 1997 world champion summed up how vast Jordan’s sporting legacy was as fans nationwide come to terms with his passing.
Sharing a photo of smiling together at a function, Doherty wrote: “So sad to hear of the passing of one of the greats of Irish Sport
Eddie Jordan rest in peace. What a character.”
Jordan made his final appearance on live radio last month when he touchingly apologised after revealing he’s “not himself” following a dose of cancer treatment.
The former F1 team owner was on talkSPORT discussing his takeover of London Irish.
Towards the end of the segment, Jordan said: “Sorry guys, just a small thing, thank you.
“I’ve just come out of getting chemotherapy and I’m not 100 per cent together here guys.
“I’m just not myself at this moment in time. I’m a little all over the place, so please forgive me.”
Back in December, Jordan revealed he went through some “dark days” as the cancer spread to different parts of his body.
He urged people to go out and get tested and spoke about the importance of looking after one’s body.
PARTING MESSAGE
In an appearance on his Formula For Success podcast, which he hosts alongside Coulthard, Jordan said: “We’ve kind of alluded to it David, over the shows.
“Way back in March and April, I was diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer.
“And then it spread into the spine and the pelvis, so it was quite aggressive.
“And we’ve all heard about our wonderful friend Sir Chris Hoy, who is an absolute megastar, and he [was] coming out and talking about illness such as like what I’ve got, but he’s a far younger man.
“But this is a little message for all the anchors and everybody listening to this: don’t wait or put it off.
“Go and get tested, because in life you’ve got chances and there is so much medical advice out there and so many things that you can do to extend your lifetime.
“Go and do it. Don’t be stupid, don’t be shy. It’s not a shy thing – look after your body, guys.
“We’ll move on, but yes, some very dark days in there – but we pulled out of it, thankfully.”
Jordan was a legend in his field and although he never drove in F1, he did race in F2, F3 and Formula Atlantic, as well as 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1981.
Ten years later he did finally make it to F1 with his Jordan Grand Prix team, and gave Michael Schumacher his F1 debut in 1991.
Jordan Grand Prix raced in F1 until 2005, and achieved its best ever result in 1998 when Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher finished first and second at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The team was sold in 2005 and rebranded as MF1 Racing a year later before becoming Force India and later Racing Point and now Aston Martin.
