'Paul was fun': Remembering snooker's departed star 20 years on.
All the Leeds-born talent truly desired to do was compete on the baize.
A sporting bug, sparked at the very young age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his home's central table in Leeds, would result in a life on the tour that saw him win half a dozen major wins in half a dozen years.
The present year marks a score of years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years.
But despite the passing of a phenomenal skill that transcended the sport he adored, his influence and memory on snooker and those who followed his career persist as vibrant now.
'The game was his life': A Childhood Obsession
"It was impossible to foresee in a million years our son would become a career sportsman," Hunter's mum recalls.
"However he just was passionate about it."
His dad recalls how his son "cared little for anything else" other than snooker as a child.
"He was relentless," he notes. "He would play every night after school."
After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the jump from home play with remarkable ease.
His raw skill would be coached by the former world title holder 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 regularly going unheeded as practice took priority, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the fourteen years old to fully concentrate on carving out a career in the game.
It proved a masterstroke. Within half a decade, their adolescent had won his initial major win, the 1998 Welsh Open.
Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the involvement of only the top competitors, Hunter won a trio of times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
'A Cheeky Charm': The Man Behind the Cue
But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded.
"He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody."
"If you met him you'd like him," Kristina continues. "He brought joy. He'd make you feel at ease."
Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "humorous, caring" and "always the last to leave the party".
With his easy charm, boyish good looks and honest interview style, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new 21st Century.
No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'.
Courage in Crisis: Illness and Resilience
In the mid-2000s, a year that should have signaled the zenith of his talent, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy.
Multiple stories from across the snooker circuit highlight the man's extraordinary willingness to fulfill commitments to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while undergoing treatment.
Despite harsh reactions, Hunter played on through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The Crucible Theatre when he turned out for the World Championships that year.
When he succumbed in October 2006, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its most popular brothers.
"It is tragic," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to go through that pain."
A Lasting Impact: The Paul Hunter Foundation
Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in royal circles but in local sports centers across the UK.
The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to youths all over the country.
The program was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas fell sharply.
"The goal was for a scheme to help provide a positive outlet," one official said.
The Foundation helped establish the basis for a significant coaching programme, which has provided 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.
Forever in Memory: Two Decades On
Archive videos of their son's matches online help his parents stay "connected to him".
"I can watch it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!"
"We are happy to speak 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 common opinion that Hunter would have secured snooker's top honor is a part of the sport's history.
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 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.
