Eddie Jordan passes away aged 76 following cancer battle

Eddie Jordan has passed away aged 76 following a battle with prostate and bladder cancer, it has been announced. 

Jordan revealed late last year that he had been battling the disease for most of it, but had elected to keep the diagnosis private as he sought treatment. 

In a statement, his family confirmed Jordan's passing.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eddie Jordan OBE, the ex-Formula 1 team owner, TV pundit and entrepreneur," it read.

"He passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town in the early hours of 20 March 2025."

The statement added: "He was working until the last, having communicated on St Patrick's Day about his ambitions for London Irish Rugby Football Club, of which he had recently become patron.

"Eddie and Jordan Grand Prix were known for their rock and roll image, bringing a fun and exciting element to F1, as well as consistently performing above their weight.

"Many successful F1 drivers owe their career breaks to Eddie, and world champions including Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill drove for him.

"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."

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Jordan - the rise, fall, and longevity

Irishman Jordan was the owner of the eponymous Jordan Grand Prix team that competed in F1 between 1991 and 2005, and for which Michael Schumacher made his F1 debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix.

The move into F1 came after a successful period running a junior category team, including Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle in the famous 1983 British F3 campaign against Ayrton Senna, with Dublin-native Jordan eventually deciding to move up to grand prix racing in the early 1990s.

He would have to wait until 1998 for his first grand prix victory as a team boss, with Damon Hill leading home a one-two in the iconic Belgian Grand Prix, only after Jordan had issued a direct team order for Ralf Schumacher not to overtake Hill in the dreadfully wet conditions.

In 1999, Jordan launched an unlikely bid for the F1 world championship, with driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen challenging Mika Hakkinen of McLaren and Eddie Irvine of Ferrari.

Frentzen won two races, in France and Italy, and was challenging for the win in the European GP, before a car failure put him out as he eventually finished third in the standings. It proved to be the beginning of the end for Jordan Grand Prix.

The loss of a Honda engine deal for 2002 made things tougher for Jordan, who sold the team to Russian businessman Alex Shnaider ahead of the '05 campaign, with the Jordan Grand Prix name being retained for that season before it was re-badged as Midland F1 for 2006.

Following spells as Spyker, Force India, and Racing Point, that team is known today as Aston Martin - with Jordan serving as the manager for technical genius Adrian Newey, who started at Silverstone at the beginning of this month.

When the BBC regained broadcast rights in the UK to show F1 ahead of the 2009 season, Jordan joined as a pundit, alongside the recently-retired David Coulthard, with presenter Jake Humphrey and later, Suzi Perry.

In 2012, it was Jordan who first floated the idea that Lewis Hamilton had signed for Mercedes and would leave McLaren, a few weeks before the official announcement.

After the BBC gave up broadcast rights for 2016, Jordan moved to Channel 4's offering, whilst also briefly becoming a presenter of Top Gear on the BBC in the post-Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May era.

In 2023, he also launched a podcast - Formula for Success (FFS) - with Coulthard.

Jordan was married to Marie, with whom he had four children.

Everyone at RacingNews365 would like to send their condolences to Eddie Jordan's family and friends at this sad time.