The regrettable news was verified through an official statement on the Eggheads’ social media page.
Mr Hughes died at his home in Crewe but his cause of death has not been announced.
The Eggheads statement said: ’It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Eggheads great Chris Hughes.
’Chris joined the show in 2003 and over the next 20 years gave us not only brilliant answers but very many laughs and happy memories. He will be hugely missed by all his Eggheads family.’
Born in Enfield, Mr Hughes was educated at the local grammar school before going on to become a train driver and a railway worker.
He first came to major public attention in 1983 by winning Mastermind and went on to also win Brain of Britain - becoming one of only seven people to do so.
Weakest Link host Anne Robinson once described him as ’the best contestant we have had on the Weakest Link’ before he was voted out in the last elimination round without getting one question wrong.
Mr Hughes joined Eggheads in 2003 and went on to appear on the show for two decades.
Among those paying tribute today was Robert Dean, one of the show’s producers, who wrote: ’Very sad to say that our brilliant Egghead Chris has sadly passed away.
’He was an amazing Egghead who considered everyone on the production team part of his family. I have such fond memories of him and count myself lucky to have known him. I’ll miss him tremendously.’
Quiz fan Colin Daffern said: ’Very sad news. I met him when we did the show back in 2015 and he was very affable. I hope he’s up there enjoying a pint with dear Dave Rainford.’
A Facebook post said that a celebration of life service for Mr Hughes would be held on March 14 at Crewe Crematorium, followed by a wake at a local pub.
Well-wishers are asked to donate to Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation.
Mr Hughes’ fellow Eggheads star Dave Rainford died in 2020.
Meanwhile, panelist CJ de Mooi was subjected to an international arrest warrant brought by Dutch police in 2016 after he admitted that he may have killed a man in 1988 while living rough in Amsterdam.
Mr de Mooi said he was confronted by a man with a knife, so punched him before throwing him into a canal in 1988. The arrest warrant was later withdrawn.
The future of Eggheads is currently in doubt after host Jeremy Vine announced last May that he had not filmed an episode for more than a year.
Eggheads was first aired in 2003 on BBC One before it soon moved to BBC Two and, in 2021, was picked up by Channel 5.
A Facebook post said that a celebration of life service for Mr Hughes would be held on March 14 at Crewe Crematorium, followed by a wake at a local pub
The last series was filmed in 2022 and aired in Spring 2023.
But Mr Vine told The Sun: ’I think I have done about 1200 shows - but whether we are doing any more, I don’t know.
’We last filmed an episode over a year ago.
’It may well be we are doing it in 30 years’ time, who knows, but no immediate plans for any more.’
The show, which is very similar to ITV rival The Chase, was first hosted by Dermot Murnaghan.
Vine then joined Murnaghan in 2008 as they rotated presenting the show before he ultimately took on the role full time in 2021.
They made the switch from BBC to Channel 5 three years ago in a bid to appeal to a younger audience.
In 2020, it emerged that the BBC had stopped producing new episodes of the programme, with Jeremy saying at the time that it had ’fallen victim’ to the corporation’s ’desire’ to appeal to 16 to 24-year-olds.
According to sources, the team on the programme had been told at the time that the BBC was looking for ’different quiz formats more suitable for younger people’.
The highbrow teatime programme pits hopeful teams of Challengers against the intellectual might of the five Eggheads, all of whom have triumphed in various quizzes themselves.
Other Eggheads have included Judith Keppel, winner of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire; Daphne Fowler, Brain of Britain Champion; and the formidable Kevin Ashman, five-time winner of the European Quizzing Championships.
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