'He was a joy': Remembering snooker's departed star 20 years on.
Everything the young snooker player always wished to do was compete on the baize.
A love for the game, sparked at the very young age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his home's central table in the city of Leeds, would result in a pro playing days that saw him win six major trophies in half a dozen years.
The present year marks two decades since the adored Hunter succumbed to cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years.
But despite the passing of a once-in-a-generation player that rose above the sport he adored, his legacy and impact on snooker and those who knew him persist as strong as ever.
'He just loved it': Early Beginnings
"It was impossible to foresee in a billion years Paul would become a pro on the circuit," Hunter's mum says.
"Yet he just was passionate about it."
Hunter's father remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a youth.
"He was relentless," he says. "He practiced every night after school."
After persistently asking his dad to take him to a local club to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the transition from table top snooker with remarkable ease.
His natural ability would be developed by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now defunct club in the Leeds district of Yeadon.
Rapid Rise: From Teenager to Champion
With his parents' pleas to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as practice took priority, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully concentrate on carving out a career in the game.
It was a resounding success. Within half a decade, their adolescent had won his first ranking title, the Welsh Open of 1998.
Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the involvement of elite players only, Hunter triumphed on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
'Paul was fun': The Man Behind the Cue
But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never deserted him.
"He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody."
"Upon meeting him you'd take to him," Kristina adds. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you feel at ease."
Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party".
With his effortless appeal, boyish good looks and candid way with the press, not to mention his considerable talent, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new 21st Century.
No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'A Sporting Icon'.
A Brave Battle: A Fight Against Cancer
In 2005, a year that should have signaled the height of his career, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy.
Multiple accounts from across the snooker circuit attest to the man's extraordinary dedication to honor obligations to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while enduring treatment.
Despite harsh reactions, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The World Championship arena when he competed in the World Championships that year.
When he succumbed in the mid-2000s, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its best-loved members.
"It is tragic," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to go through that pain."
An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth
Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK.
The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide no-cost coaching to youths all over the country.
The program was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas dropped significantly.
"The goal was for a platform to help get kids off the street," one coach said.
The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a huge coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children globally.
"It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a chairman in the sport stated.
Always Remembered: A Lasting Presence
Archive videos of their son's matches online help his parents stay "close to him".
"I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!"
"We don't mind talking about Paul," she continues. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be recalled."
While he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have secured snooker's greatest prize is etched into the sport's history.
The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, commences later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup.
But for all his achievements, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.
