X Factor icon Tony Adkins, affectionately known as Big Tony, passed away aged 64 on Easter Sunday during a rugby tour. A family member announced the sad news on social media. A touching photo of Tony was shared by his cousin who wrote: "It is with great sadness my family would like to announce that my Cousin Big Tony, Simon Cowell's ex bodyguard, passed away on Easter Sunday while on a Rugby Tour. "He was a loveable Rogue and will be missed very much, RIP Big T." According to the Mirror , Hammersmith and Fulham RFC also paid homage to Tony on their website. It wrote: "It is with immense sadness that the club pays tribute to a true gent and great Hammer, Tony Adkins, who passed away whilst on tour with the Club in Poland on Easter Sunday." Tony was often called upon to escort rowdy or distressed contestants out of The X Factor audition rooms. After working on the show, he previously opened up about his experience working with Simon Cowell. "Simon was so laid-back and a very nice guy. He was generous, too," he once told the Mirror . "Whenever the show finished - and at Christmas - you'd get an envelope as a thank you. The last one I got had £700 stuffed in it." Tony went on: "He's a very private person. He doesn't give much away. You never see him drunk or out of control. Simon is vain - he does his hair all the time. "If there are five breaks in filming then Simon will do his hair five times. And I think he has about 20 identical T-shirts. I remember once he had a hole in one, so he just reached into a bag and pulled out another from a big pile." The X Factor legend also shared insights about other judges, including Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole. "Louis goes around saying, 'Hello, hello hello,' all the time, always up for a laugh. Cheryl's pleasant, and Dannii's really laid-back and will talk to anyone," he revealed. "All the judges used to get on but they'd wind each other up, too...If Simon thought Louis was being mean about an auditionee he'd say, 'Louis, go and apologise,' but Louis would refuse. So Simon would ask him again to say sorry but Louis would just say no. "And they'd just carry on like that, winding each other up. But they were really good friends."