Katie Price has shared a moving tribute to Eddie Jordan following the news that the F1 legend had di3d. Eddie announced in December last year that he had been battling bladder and prostate cancer, having been diagnosed with the “aggressive” disease earlier that year.

The ex Formula 1 team owner and businessman had di3d surrounded by his family in Cape Town in the early hours of March 20, aged just 76. He had battled the cruel disease for the past 12 months, his family said in a statement. Now, Eddie’s former grid girl, Katie Price, has shared a moving tribute.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Katie who served as Eddie’s grid girl under her alter ego Jordan, said: “I’m deeply saddened on hearing the news that Eddie has di3d. He was a very charismatic and fun character to be around whose humour, just like himself, was unique. It’s a great loss to the F1 family and he will be missed around the Paddock.”

At the time, Katie was known as “Eddie Jordan’s put girl,” by the press and she acknowledged this in an autobiography, writing: “I was definitely on the way up.” The former model, who previously went by the name Jordan was catapulted to fame in 1998 when she became one of the “s3xy” members of his team.  In the same year, the team had its first win with Damon Hill at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Katie described Eddie as ‘unique’ ( 
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Getty Images)

Eddie ran the Jordan Grand Prix team between 1991 and 2005 was synonymous with introducing glamorous grid girls to the intense sport. At the time, the former F1 boss claimed it was sponsor Benson & Hedges who wanted to introduce the grid girls dressed in yellow and black.

In a statement, Eddie’s family said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eddie Jordan OBE, the ex-Formula 1 team owner, TV pundit and entrepreneur. He passed away peacefully with family by his side in Cape Town in the early hours of March 20, 2025, at the age of 76, after battling with an aggressive form of prostate cancer for the past 12 months.

Katie started working for Eddie’s F1 team in 1998 ( 
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Bongarts/Getty Images)
“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.”

Speaking about his diagnosis, he said in December: “Way back in March and April, I was diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer. And then it spread into the spine and the pelvis, so it was quite aggressive.” Just last month, Eddie explained he wasn’t “himself” due to his ongoing treatment.

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Tributes have since poured in, with F1’s chief executive Stefano Domenicali saying: “We are deeply saddened to hear about the sudden loss of Eddie Jordan. With his inexhaustible energy he always knew how to make people smile, remaining genuine and brilliant at all times. Eddie has been a protagonist of an era of F1 and he will be deeply missed. In this moment of sorrow, my thoughts and those of the entire Formula 1 family are with his family and loved ones.”

The F1 icon has di3d aged 76 ( 
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AP)
Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok posted a photo of Jordan and wrote alongside it: “There will never be another like him. Sleep well EJ.” Meanwhile, fellow commentator David Croft said: “He was a legend and we all loved him and my god are we going to miss him. Sleep well EJ and thank you for making all of our lives so much better for having known you.”

Martin Brundle who drove for Eddie’s team in the F1 and the junior ranks said: “I’m really sad to hear that Eddie has succumbed to his illness. He’s not been feeling well for quite a while now, but it has taken him relatively quickly. He was such a character and we will miss him a lot.

“I first raced for Eddie in Formula 3 in 1983 when we hardly had a pound between us. How he hustled to get the car and transporter and everything together, and we had a great season – that sums him up. There are so many drivers in this paddock and formerly on the grid in Formula 1 who need to thank him, the likes of Eddie Irvine, Jean Alesi – many of us who Eddie gave a chance in junior racing and in promoting us like crazy to get us Formula 1 seats.

“I was lucky enough to drive for him in Formula 1 itself with the Jordan team, to close the circle, just like many other drivers like Damon Hill, Ralf Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Giancarlo Fisichella and many other drivers who were given a chance because of Eddie’s entrepreneurial spirit and his racer’s mentality.

“Eddie Jordan was one of the biggest characters of Formula 1, absolutely irrepressible. Everybody loved him, he was such a strong character to have around with a great sense of humour and then when he had something really secret to tell you, he’d whisper to you – we’ll remember him for that. The sport will be poorer without him because of what he achieved and what he stood for, and just what a racer he was.”

Jordan has been a well-known figure in the F1 world since the early 1990s when he established his own team, Jordan Grand Prix. The team made its debut on the F1 track in 1991, the same year that he famously introduced Michael Schumacher to the sport.

The team enjoyed some victories and success but started to decline after the turn of the century. In early 2005, Jordan sold the team to the Midland Group and embarked on a media career, becoming an integral part of the BBC’s F1 coverage.