'He was a joy': Reflecting on snooker's lost great 20 years on.
Everything the young snooker player ever wanted to do was practice the game.
A competitive passion, sparked at the tender age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him win six major trophies in a six-year span.
The present year marks two decades since the beloved Hunter died from cancer, just days before to his twenty-eighth birthday.
But notwithstanding the loss of a phenomenal skill that rose above the sport he adored, his enduring mark on the game and those who followed his career persist as powerful today.
'The game was his life': Early Beginnings
"We'd never have known in a lifetime the boy would become a professional snooker player," Kristina Hunter says.
"But he just loved it."
Alan Hunter recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" besides snooker as a young boy.
"He was relentless," he notes. "He practiced every night after school."
After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a local club to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the leap from miniature games with great skill.
His raw skill would be nurtured by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now closed venue in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon.
Rapid Rise: A Star is Born
With his parents' pleas to do his homework often being ignored as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully dedicate himself to forging a career in the game.
It was a resounding success. Within a short period, their young son had won his first ranking title, the 1998 Welsh Open.
Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the presence of exclusively the best, Hunter won on three occasions, in the early 2000s.
'Paul was fun': His Enduring Personality
But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded.
"He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody."
"If you met him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you comfortable."
Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "humorous, caring" and "always the last to leave the party".
With his effortless appeal, handsome features and honest interview style, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the modern era.
No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'.
Facing Adversity: His Final Years
In 2005, a year that should have marked the peak of his powers, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment.
Multiple anecdotes from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary dedication to keep promises to public appearances and promotional work, all while undergoing treatment.
Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a standing ovation at The famous Sheffield venue when he played at the World Championships that year.
When he passed away in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its best-loved members.
"It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to suffer such a loss."
A Foundation for the Future: Inspiring Youth
Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in royal circles but in community venues across the UK.
The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide no-cost coaching to youths all over the country.
The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas fell sharply.
"The idea was for a scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one organizer said.
The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children globally.
"It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated.
Never Forgotten: A Lasting Presence
Archive videos of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "connected to him".
"I can bring it up and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!"
"We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be recalled."
Although he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have secured snooker's greatest prize is a part of the sport's history.
The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, begins later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor.
But for all his accomplishments, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
