VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Bill Werbeniuk, one of snooker's most colorful characters, has died of heart problems. He was 56.

Werbeniuk, who once split his pants open on television during a snooker competition and would drink 10 beers before picking up a cue to help control a nervous disorder, died Jan. 20.

"He was a great guy, funny as hell,'' longtime friend Prem Nand said Wednesday. "He never took advantage of anybody. Nobody ever took advantage of him. He was just a sweet guy.''

Werbeniuk was nine years old when he began playing snooker and he turned professional in 1973, winning both the North American and Canadian championship. In 1974, he made his first visit to England for the world championship, where he reached the last 16.

By 1978 Werbeniuk based himself in England. He lived in a converted bus and drove from tournament to tournament.

During his career, Werbeniuk won the North American Professional Championships four times and was runner-up in the Lada Classic and Australian Masters. He joined Cliff Thorburn and Kirk Stevens to help Canada win the World Team Cup in 1982.

His career peaked in 1984 when he was ranked eighth in the world.

Werbeniuk, who had been seriously ill for a year and spent his last three months in the hospital, never married and had no children.

His mother told worldsnooker.com that he would be cremated at a private ceremony and she would take his ashes home.