Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan (born 5 December 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands),[1][2] nicknamed "the Rocket" due to his rapid playing style, is an English professional snooker player. He has been World Champion on three occasions (2001, 2004 and 2008), and is second on the all-time prize money list with career earnings of over UK£6 million, behind only Stephen Hendry. O'Sullivan has been the world's no. 1 player on five occasions, has won a total of 21 ranking titles and is second on the list of competitive century breaks.
O'Sullivan is considered by many fans, critics and fellow professionals, including Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry, as the most naturally talented player in the history of the game. He has also been involved in a number of controversial incidents during his career.
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Paul Alan Hunter (14 October 1978 – 9 October 2006) was an English professional snooker player. His media profile developed swiftly and he became known as the "Beckham of the Baize" for his glamorous image.
Hunter was educated at St Andrews Primary School and Cardinal Heenan High School in Leeds. With some encouragement from friends and family, he spent many hours practising snooker, and by the age of 12 had become an outstanding junior talent. With the help of former professional snooker players Jimmy Michie and Joe Johnson, the youngster from Leeds made his debut among the professionals in July 1995 at the age of 16.
Death and legacy
Hunter died on 9 October 2006 – just five days short of his 28th birthday – at the Kirkwood Hospice in Huddersfield. His funeral took place on 19 October 2006.[14]
Following his death, thousands of tributes poured in from some of the most famous names in snooker:
World Snooker chairman Sir Rodney Walker said: "I'm sure that everyone who met Paul, as well as his millions of fans and the sporting public as a whole, will join me in sending most sincere sympathies to Lindsey, Paul's parents, his family and friends. Paul was a man who had everything going for him – an outstanding talent, good looks, fame, riches, charm and a beautiful wife. This shows us just how quickly life can change. It’s a bitter blow for snooker but most importantly for his family and our thoughts are with them."[15] Stephen Hendry said: "I'm absolutely devastated by the news. He’s got a young family and he had a fantastic future in front of him. It’s everyone’s worst nightmare and puts everything into perspective."[15]
John Parrott, the 1991 world champion and a member of the BBC TV snooker team, said: "It's a great loss to the sport but more importantly than that, it's a great loss to his family. Paul played the game with a smile on his face. He was a bright and bubbly character and I never heard him complain. He was always such a happy person. We’re all going to miss him, very much."[15] Jimmy White, six times World Championship finalist, revealed he was playing for Hunter's charity when he heard of the news: "I was halfway through the exhibition and a guy gave £10,000 to the charity, and then we got the news", he said. "He was a tiger on the snooker table, but off the table you couldn't have met a nicer fellow. As soon as he got beaten, or he won, he was back to Paul Hunter, and that's a very hard quality to have. I can't tell you how special he was. He was a credit to life."[16]
Ken Doherty, the 1997 World Champion, paid tribute to Hunter calling him a 'great character': "It's a very sad day, not only for snooker but also for the sporting world", said Doherty. "We've lost a great character and champion and a great friend. It's a shocking loss." He added: "Everybody was dumbfounded when he was diagnosed with the disease. In someone so young we all thought he would come through it after chemotherapy. Words can't explain what his family must be going through and they are all in our minds and our prayers."[17] Willie Thorne said, "He was a very flamboyant player, a very attacking player. He had a heart like a lion. I’m sure that he would have been a future world champion. It’s such a sad loss to our game and his family. Deep down I think we all thought he was going to beat the disease. Then two or three months ago we realised it was probably a lot more serious than we thought."[18] Alex Higgins, two-times world champion, said, "This is terrible news. I’ve followed his battle closely. We all loved Paul. My thoughts are with his family right now."[19]
Prior to the Premier League Snooker matches on 12 October 2006, players Jimmy White,
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