The winner of seven world pocket billiard championships and numerous other titles, Lassiter is most well known for his wizardry in the game of nine-ball and is widely considered one of the greatest players in history, He was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame in 1983.
14 Facts About Luther Lassiter
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Luther Lassiter was ranked number 9 on the Billiards Digest 50 Greatest Players of the Century.
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The owner of the pool room there, a man named Speedy Ives, allowed Luther Lassiter to enter through the back door and to shoot whenever he wanted as long as Luther Lassiter swept the floors and cleaned the pool tables.
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Luther Lassiter often accepted money games involving extraordinary sums, often around $1,000 a game.
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Indeed, Willis' talent for nine-ball was the primary reason for Luther Lassiter forming a partnership with Willis rather than a rivalry.
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Luther Lassiter, who was wide awake, jumped out of his chair and ran out the match for the win.
7.
Luther Lassiter did come out of retirement, along with many other pool greats, to compete twice in "The Legendary Stars of Pocket Billiards Tournament", once in January 1982 at Harrah's Marina Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, and again in 1983, at the Claridge Hotel and Casino, in Atlantic City.
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At the 1983 tournament, which was televised on the then-fledgling ESPN network, Luther Lassiter pitched a shutout.
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Luther Lassiter won all six of his matches for 20 points each, amassing a perfect score of 120 points and the first-place prize of $10,000.
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Luther Lassiter was the best shot-maker that I ever saw.
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Luther Lassiter spent his final days in financial trouble, living alone in the house of his childhood in Elizabeth City, on a pension provided by oil tycoon Walter Davis, who was a lifelong friend of Lassiter's.
12.
On October 25,1988, Luther Lassiter died of natural causes in his hometown of Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
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Luther Lassiter was found by his nephew next to his pool table where he had apparently been practicing.
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Luther Lassiter treated everybody like they was supposed to be treated.