'He was a joy': Reflecting on the game's departed star two decades on.
Everything the young snooker player truly desired to do was play snooker.
A love for the game, caught at the very young age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his parents' coffee table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a life on the tour that saw him win half a dozen major wins in six years.
The present year marks a score of years since the popular Hunter succumbed to cancer, mere days prior to his birthday marking 28 years.
But despite the tragic departure of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the sport he adored, his legacy and impact on the game and those who knew him remain as powerful today.
'He just loved it': The Formative Years
"We could not have predicted in a lifetime Paul would become a career sportsman," his mother recalls.
"But he just loved it."
Hunter's father recounts how his son "showed no interest in anything else" besides snooker as a child.
"His dedication was constant," he says. "He would play every night after school."
After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a community venue to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the jump from miniature games with great skill.
His raw skill would be coached by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the Leeds district of Yeadon.
Rapid Rise: From Teenager to Champion
With his family's urging to do his homework often being ignored as the game dominated, his parents took the "chance" 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 half a decade, their adolescent had won his initial major win, the Welsh Open of 1998.
Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the involvement of exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
'A Cheeky Charm': A Legacy of Character
But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never left him.
"His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody."
"When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you relaxed."
Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "witty, generous" and "typically the final guest at the party".
With his effortless appeal, youthful appearance and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his considerable talent, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new millennium.
No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'.
Courage in Crisis: A Fight Against Cancer
In 2005, a year that should have marked the height of his career, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy.
Multiple anecdotes from across the snooker circuit speak of the man's extraordinary dedication to fulfill commitments to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while enduring treatment.
Despite gruelling side effects, 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.
"The pain is immense," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to go through that pain."
An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth
Hunter's true impact would be felt not in palaces and castles but in community venues 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, issues with young people in some areas fell sharply.
"The goal was for a scheme to help offer a constructive activity," 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 chairman in the sport stated.
Forever in Memory: 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 are happy to speak about Paul," she concludes. "At first it was sad, 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 eventually won snooker's ultimate trophy is etched into the sport's legend.
The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, begins 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 character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
