Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan dies of cancer at 76

"EJ brought an abundance of charisma, energy and Irish charm everywhere he went. We all have a huge hole missing without his presence," the family said in a statement. They said Jordan had died in the early hours in Cape Town with his family beside him. Born on March 30, 1948, Jordan competed in motor racing's junior series before becoming a driver manager and then a team owner. The F1 team and their lively publicity-seeking owner brought a "rock and roll" image to the sport - with glamour models draped over cars and plenty of tabloid headlines - but also punched above their weight in beating long-established rivals. Germany's seven-times world champion Schumacher, whose family own a large estate in Puerto Andratx, Mallorca, made his debut with them at Spa-Francorchamps after Belgian driver Bertrand Gachot was jailed for spraying a London taxi driver with CS gas.

The team were short of cash and Schumacher, still largely unknown and racing in sports cars, was available and had a persuasive manager and a wad of Mercedes money. The German was immediately poached by Flavio Briatore's Benetton, where he won titles in 1994 and 1995, but younger brother Ralf had a longer stint with Jordan in 1997 and 1998. Britain's Damon Hill, the 1996 champion with Williams, was a race winner with Jordan in 1998. The team finished third overall behind Ferrari and McLaren in the 1999 constructors' championship and won four races in all.

'GREAT MEMORIES'

"He will be missed by so many people, but he leaves us with tonnes of great memories to keep us smiling through our sorrow," the family statement said of Jordan. Formula One Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali, a former Ferrari team boss, said he was deeply saddened. "With his inexhaustible energy, he always knew how to make people smile, remaining genuine and brilliant at all times," said the Italian. "Eddie has been a protagonist of an era of F1 and he will be deeply missed."

Speaking openly about his cancer, Jordan said in December that he had gone through "very dark days" since the diagnosis of aggressive bladder and prostate cancer that spread into the spine and the pelvis. The Irishman remained busy, serving as manager for top designer Adrian Newey and patron of London Irish rugby club. "Eddie Jordan was a true racer, a great leader and one of the biggest characters in our sport," said Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll.

"He was a friend who I have known for more than 30 years and I will miss him greatly." Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin paid tribute to a compatriot who he said "lived life to the full, facing his final days with the same courage and tenacity displayed throughout many years as an entrepreneur, F1 pioneer and TV pundit."

Ten years ago, Sunseeker International celebrated the official British launch of its new flagship tri-deck 155 Yacht with the help of Formula 1’s Eddie Jordan. Commissioned by the Jordan Family Trust, the first 155 Yacht hasd been the talk of the town since it was first announced. What is more, the bespoke element of this spectacular yacht allowed Eddie to stamp his marque on it and create something truly unique to him and Palma was her first base.

Jordan also visited Mallorca various times and on one of the trips he inspected a site where plans had been drawn up to build a Formula 1 circuit, but sadly nothing, to date, ever came of it. Eddie's eldest child Zoe married financier Steve Aspinall in Deia, Majorca and welcomed three daughters Eden, Dylan, and Inez. Eight years later the family moved back to Spain.