YORKSHIRE snooker star Paul Hunter has died at Kirkwood Hospice after losing his battle with cancer, aged just 27.

Hunter, of Batley, was diagnosed with dozens of neuro endocrine tumours of the lining of his stomach in March 2005.

He was taken into Kirkwood Hospice in Dalton last Friday and died at 8.20pm yesterday evening - just five days before his 28th birthday.

He leaves a wife, Lindsey, and a daughter, Evie Rose, who was born on Boxing Day of last year.

Hunter - who trained at the Syngenta club in Huddersfield - fought his cancer with continuing chemotherapy treatments and continued to compete at the table last season.

Fellow snooker colleagues have lined up to pay tribute to the man affectionately nicknamed "The Beckham of the Baize" due to his good looks and blond hair.

Former world champion and now BBC commentator John Parrott said it was "a great loss to the sport".

And seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry said he was devastated by the news.

Stuart Gothard, the Syngenta club steward, himself a former Huddersfield Open snooker champion and a close friend of Hunter said: "It's terrible news.

"Naeem (another player and friend) and myself went over to the Nuffield Hospital in Elland last Thursday when the decision was taken to move him to Kirkwood Hospice, and we travelled back to Dalton with him.

"I'm afraid he was just a shadow of his former self.

"His condition had steadily worsened over the last three months, but he had really deteriorated over the last couple of weeks and was struggling to keep any food down.

"His best friend on the professonal circuit, Matthew Stevens, had been to visit him on Saturday."

Hunter had his own practice table at the Syngenta club on Leeds Road, but obviously he had not been down in recent months because of his illness.

"The last time he practiced here was just before the World Championships in April," added Gothard.

"And the last frame he ever played was in the Championship at the Crucible, which was perhaps a fitting place to play your last ever frame of snooker!"

Willie Thorne said: "I'm sure Paul would have been a future world champion. It's a sad loss to the game and his family.

"He had a heart like a lion, he battled until the end. You never knew when Paul was beaten. He will be sadly, sadly missed.

"He lit up the stage when he played. He was a very flamboyant player."

Hunter turned professional at the age of 16 in 1995 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 but will be best remembered for his exploits at the Wembley Masters.

He fought back from seemingly impossible positions to lift the title twice and completed a hat-trick of Masters victories in 2004 when he came from 7-2 down to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-9.

World Snooker chairman Sir Rodney Walker said: "I'm sure that everyone will join me in sending most sincere sympathies to Lindsey, Paul's parents, his family and friends."