'Paul was fun': Reflecting on the sport's departed star 20 years on.
All the young snooker player always wished to do was practice the game.
A competitive passion, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his home's central table in the city of Leeds, would result in a professional career that saw him win six major trophies in six years.
The present year marks two decades since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday.
But despite the loss of a once-in-a-generation player that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on the game and those who were close to him remain as strong as ever.
'His passion was clear': A Childhood Obsession
"It was impossible to foresee in a billion years the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter says.
"However he just was passionate about it."
Alan Hunter remembers how his son "cared little for anything else" except for snooker as a youth.
"He was relentless," he adds. "He competed every night after school."
After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a community venue to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the jump from home play with great skill.
His natural ability would be developed by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon.
Quick Success: 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 "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully focus on carving out a career in the game.
It proved a masterstroke. Within a short period, their young son had won his first ranking title, the late-nineties Welsh championship.
Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the presence of only the top competitors, Hunter won three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
'Paul was fun': A Legacy of Character
But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never left him.
"He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody."
"If you met him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina continues. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you relaxed."
Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "humorous, caring" and "typically the final guest at the party".
With his effortless appeal, handsome features and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the modern era.
No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'.
Courage in Crisis: Illness and Resilience
In the mid-2000s, a year that should have signaled the zenith of his talent, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment.
Multiple stories from across the sporting world highlight the man's extraordinary willingness to honor obligations to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while enduring treatment.
Despite harsh reactions, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The World Championship arena when he competed in the World Championships that year.
When he succumbed in autumn 2006, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its best-loved members.
"It's awful," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to suffer such a loss."
An Enduring Legacy: The Paul Hunter Foundation
Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles but in local sports centers across the UK.
The charity in his name, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to youths all over the country.
The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas dropped significantly.
"The idea was for a scheme to help provide a positive outlet," one official said.
The Foundation helped pave the way for a huge coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children all over the world.
"It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated.
Always Remembered: 20 Years Later
Classic footage of their son's matches online 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 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 etched into the sport's folklore.
The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, starts later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy.
But for all his accomplishments, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.
