'He was a joy': Honoring snooker's departed star a score of years on.
Everything the young snooker player truly desired to do was practice the game.
A love for the game, caught 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 lead to a life on the tour that saw him claim half a dozen major wins in half a dozen years.
The present year marks 20 years since the adored Hunter succumbed to cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday.
But in spite of the passing of a once-in-a-generation player that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on the sport and those who were close to him endure as vibrant now.
'The game was his life': A Childhood Obsession
"We could not have predicted in a lifetime our son would become a professional snooker player," his mother recalls.
"But he just loved it."
Alan Hunter recounts how his son "cared little for anything else" besides snooker as a youth.
"He was relentless," he notes. "He would play every night after school."
After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a local club to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the jump from table top snooker with aplomb.
His mercurial talent would be coached by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now former establishment in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon.
Rapid Rise: The Path to Glory
With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded as practice took priority, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on carving out a career in the game.
It was a resounding success. Within five years, their adolescent had won his maior professional trophy, the Welsh Open of 1998.
Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter triumphed three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
'Paul was fun': A Legacy of Character
But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never faded.
"He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody."
"When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina continues. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you feel at ease."
Hunter's wife Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "incredible, lively, and kind spirit" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party".
With his easy charm, youthful appearance and honest interview style, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new 21st Century.
No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'A Sporting Icon'.
Courage in Crisis: A Fight Against Cancer
In that year, a year that should have marked the height of his career, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment.
Multiple stories from across the sporting world highlight the man's extraordinary commitment to keep promises to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while undergoing treatment.
Despite harsh reactions, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a standing ovation at The famous Sheffield venue when he turned out for the World Championships that year.
When he succumbed in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its cherished personalities.
"It's awful," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to suffer such a loss."
An Enduring Legacy: Giving Back
Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles but in community venues across the UK.
The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to young people all over the country.
The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, local youth crime rates in some areas plummeted.
"The goal was for a platform to help get kids off the street," one organizer said.
The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a significant coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children internationally.
"It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated.
Never Forgotten: A Lasting Presence
Historic matches of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "connected to him".
"I can access it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!"
"We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be recalled."
Although he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's ultimate trophy is ingrained in the sport's legend.
The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, commences later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy.
But for all his successes, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.