Who was snooker legend Paul Hunter and what was his cause of death?

PAUL HUNTER was an iconic snooker player when he was alive and his legacy has continued long after his death.

Every year at the Masters tournament the sportsman is remembered, with competitors playing for the Paul Hunter Trophy.

Iconic snooker player Paul Hunter tragically died in 2006 aged 27Gareth Copley

Who was snooker legend Paul Hunter?

Paul Hunter was a British snooker player who sadly died in 2006.

He was known for his long blonde hair which earned him comparisons to David Beckham and the nickname “Beckham of the Baize”.

Hunter was born on October 15, 1978, in Yorkshire.

He was a keen snooker player from a young age and made his professional debut in July 1995 when he was just 16 years old.

Paul won the Masters three times, taking home the titles in 2001, 2002, and 2004.

He also won the Welsh Open in 1998 and 2002, and the British Open in 2002. 

After his death, the sportsman was posthumously awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and in 2017 the Masters trophy was renamed in his honour.

One of Paul’s most famous snooker matches was his victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the 2004 Masters.

In 2024, to mark the 20 year anniversary of the iconic game, O’Sullivan paid tribute to his late rival.

He said: “Paul was an unbelievable talent. He definitely had that star power and transcended the game.

“He was the Beckham of snooker, wasn’t he? He was a good looking boy, he always had a smile on his face and was a good lad.

“I had some good times and some good memories with Paul, he will never be forgotten, all the players loved him.

“He will always be in the hearts of the snooker players and everybody who knew him.”

Who was Paul Hunter’s wife Lindsey Hunter?

Paul married his wife Lindsey Hunter, née Fell, in August 2004.

The couple held their wedding in Jamaica.

Lindsey was a beauty therapist but later became an author.

After his death, Lindsey wrote a book about her late husband’s life titled Unbreakable: My Life with Paul – a Story of Extraordinary Courage and Love.

In the book, Lindsey details Paul’s illness and devastating death.

In one particularly emotional section she writes: “I can’t even begin to say how much I miss him, but the love we built together was so strong that it will live on forever.

“I want to thank him for Evie. For the life he left us with. For the friends he gave me. For the memories and for the things that are still happening because of him.

“I’ll hold his love in my heart for as long as I live and I wish I could say to him that even if I knew we had to go through it all again: ‘I’d still pick you, babes. I’d still pick you.'”

Did Paul Hunter have any children?

Paul welcomed one child with wife Lindsey Hunter before his tragic death.

The couple had a daughter in December 2005 and named their little girl Evie Rose.

Paul sadly died in October 2006, when Evie was just ten months old.

In 2013 it was reported that Lindsey had welcomed another daughter and named her Freya.

The Mirror reported at the time that Lindsey was “over the moon” to give Evie a little sister.

What was Paul Hunter’s cause of death?

In October 2006, Paul died of cancer at the age of 27.

He had been diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumours in April 2005.

According to the NHS, a neuroendocrine tumour is “a rare tumour that can develop in many different organs of the body.”

They add that the rumours “affect the cells that release hormones into the bloodstream.”

Hunter died at Kirkwood Hospice in Huddersfield.

His funeral took place on October 19, 2006, at Leeds Parish Church.