'He was a joy': Reflecting on snooker's departed star a score of years on.
Everything the young snooker player ever wanted to do was play snooker.
A sporting bug, caught at the age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his parents' coffee table in Leeds, would result in a professional career that saw him win half a dozen major wins in a six-year span.
The present year marks a score of years since the adored Hunter died from cancer, mere days prior to his birthday marking 28 years.
But notwithstanding the passing of a generational talent that rose above the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on the game and those who were close to him endure as strong as ever.
'His passion was clear': A Childhood Obsession
"We'd never have known in a billion years Paul would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter says.
"But he just loved it."
His dad remembers how his son "cared little for anything else" except for snooker as a youth.
"His dedication was constant," he says. "He would play every night after school."
After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the jump from miniature games with remarkable ease.
His raw skill would be coached by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now defunct club in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon.
Quick Success: A Star is Born
With his family's urging to do his homework often being ignored as training came first, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on forging a career in the game.
It paid off in spades. Within half a decade, their still-teenage son had won his maior professional trophy, the 1998 Welsh Open.
Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the involvement of elite players only, Hunter won three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
'Paul was fun': His Enduring Personality
But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never faded.
"He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody."
"Upon meeting him you'd like him," Kristina states. "He brought joy. He'd make you relaxed."
Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "humorous, caring" and "never the first to depart from the party".
With his easy charm, boyish good looks and candid way with the press, not to mention his considerable talent, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new millennium.
No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Beckham of the Baize'.
Courage in Crisis: A Fight Against Cancer
In the mid-2000s, a year that should have marked the height of his career, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy.
Multiple accounts from across the sporting world speak of the man's extraordinary commitment to keep promises to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while undergoing treatment.
Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter played on through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The World Championship arena when he turned out for the World Championships that year.
When he passed away in October 2006, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its cherished personalities.
"The pain is immense," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to lose a child."
An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth
Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in royal circles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK.
The charity in his name, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to youths all over the country.
The program was so successful that, according to reports, local youth crime rates in some areas fell sharply.
"The goal was for a scheme to help provide a positive outlet," one coach said.
The Foundation helped establish the basis 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 leading figure in the sport stated.
Always Remembered: Two Decades On
Classic footage of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "close to him".
"I can watch it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's marvellous!"
"We are happy to speak about Paul," she concludes. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be mentioned at all."
Although he never won the World Championship, the highly probable notion that Hunter would have secured snooker's greatest prize is a part of the sport's legend.
The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, begins later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy.
But for all his achievements, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
