John Virgo died at age 79 at a hospital on the Costa del Sol. His wife Rosie Ries called an ambulance around 2:30 am on the day of his death. His last commentary appearance was 17 days before his death, at the Masters final where Kyren Wilson defeated John Higgins.
A memorial service for John Virgo was held at Sheffield Cathedral. His son Gary delivered a eulogy at the memorial service, and his daughter Brooke-Leah read a poem. Ken Doherty read the poem 'Death is nothing at all' at the memorial service.
Dennis Taylor attended the memorial service, while Ronnie O'Sullivan did not attend. Rob Walker gave a speech at the memorial service. There was a reception at Sheffield Town Hall after the memorial service.
A minute's silence was observed for John Virgo at the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong. John Virgo was a BBC snooker commentator. He hosted Big Break alongside Jim Davidson.
He won the UK Championship and reached the semi-finals at the World Snooker Championship in 1979. John Virgo was from Salford. He was a Manchester United fan.