John Nicks: key obituary facts
Is John Nicks dead? Yes. John Nicks died on November 3, 2026, at age 97.
Cause of death: John Nicks's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was John Nicks known for?
He was a British figure skater.
More about John Nicks
Born: 22 April 1929.
Place of birth: Brighton.
Gender: male.
Occupation: figure skater, figure skating coach.
Nationality: United Kingdom.
Spouse: Yvonne Littlefield.
Also known as: John Allen Wisden Nicks.
John Nicks, the British–American pair skater and figure skating coach, died November 3, 2026, aged 97.
Born John Allen Wisden Nicks in Brighton on April 22, 1929, he grew up there as the son of a sporting-goods store owner. He began skating at 10 or 11, after his father, who knew little about the sport but hoped to sell skating equipment, put him on skates so he could learn about them.
Nicks and his sister Jennifer initially competed as singles skaters, then formed a pairs team at the request of the British skating association, which pledged to support them. They made their Olympic debut at the 1948 Winter Games and won the world championship in 1953. As a coach, Nicks worked with skaters including Peggy Fleming, pairs team Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Kristi Yamaguchi, Paul Wylie, Sasha Cohen, Rory Flack and Ashley Wagner. He moved to the United States in the 1960s and was briefly an undocumented immigrant before receiving a green card a few weeks later. He became a U.S. citizen around 2008.