'He brought laughter': Remembering the sport's departed star two decades on.
Everything Paul Hunter always wished to do was practice the game.
A competitive passion, caught at the tender age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his parents' coffee table in Leeds, would culminate in a life on the tour that saw him win six major trophies in half a dozen years.
This year marks 20 years since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday.
But in spite of the loss of a once-in-a-generation player that rose above the game he loved, his legacy and impact on snooker and those who knew him endure as vibrant now.
'He just loved it': The Formative Years
"It was impossible to foresee in a million years our son would become a career sportsman," his mother recalls.
"But he just loved it."
His dad remembers how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" other than snooker as a child.
"He never stopped," he adds. "He competed every night after school."
After persistently asking his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the jump from table top snooker with aplomb.
His mercurial talent would be coached by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now defunct club in the Leeds district of Yeadon.
Metoric Ascent: A Star is Born
With his parents' pleas to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as training came first, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully concentrate on carving out a career in the game.
It paid off in spades. Within a short period, their young son had won his initial major win, the late-nineties Welsh championship.
Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the involvement of elite players only, Hunter won on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
'A Cheeky Charm': A Legacy of Character
But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never faded.
"His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody."
"When encountering him you'd take to him," Kristina adds. "Paul was fun. He'd make you feel at ease."
Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party".
With his easy charm, youthful appearance and candid way with the press, not to mention his considerable talent, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the new 21st Century.
No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'.
A Brave Battle: A Fight Against Cancer
In 2005, a year that should have been the height of his career, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment.
Multiple anecdotes from across the professional tour highlight the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while going through treatment.
Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter played on through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The World Championship arena when he competed in the World Championships that year.
When he died in October 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its most popular brothers.
"It is tragic," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child."
An Enduring Legacy: The Paul Hunter Foundation
Hunter's true contribution 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, issues with young people in some areas plummeted.
"The goal was for a scheme to help provide a positive outlet," one official said.
The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a huge coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children globally.
"He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated.
Never Forgotten: A Lasting Presence
Archive videos of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "in touch with his memory".
"I can watch it and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!"
"We don't mind talking about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be recalled."
Even though he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have secured snooker's top honor is ingrained in the sport's folklore.
The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, starts later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor.
But for all his achievements, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is always remembered.
