English snooker star Hunter dies

Three-time Masters snooker champion Paul Hunter died from cancer on Monday aged 27.

He had been taken into a hospice in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, last Friday and died on Monday evening.

Hunter, a world championship semifinalist in 2003, was diagnosed with dozens of tumours in his stomach in March 2005.

Despite undergoing chemotherapy, Hunter continued to compete professionally but won only one match last season and fell from fifth to 34th in the world rankings.

Hunter turned professional at the age of 16 and won his first major title, the 1998 Welsh Open, at the age of 19.

He also won the Welsh title in 2002 and picked up the British Open trophy the same year.

Hunter would have been 28 on Saturday. He leaves a wife, Lindsey, and a daughter, Evie Rose, who was born on December 26 last year.

Source: Xinhua