SEVENTIES Taiwanese pop queen Fong Fei-fei’s funeral was held in Hong Kong on Jan 12, right under the noses of the paparazzi there.
But barely anyone knew it was her funeral – and her death was hushed up for 40 days – because there was neither a portrait of her nor a mention of her stage name, revealed her Taiwanese lawyer Chiang Yen-wei.
Although she was known as the Queen of Hats and Songs, she was cremated with none of her trademark hats.
Fewer than 20 friends and family members were at the service, which was registered in her birth name Lin Chiu-luan.
It was the name she used, too, at St Teresa’s Hospital, where she was being treated for terminal lung cancer.
She was so determined to keep her condition and subsequent death secret, rather than spoil anyone’s Chinese New Year, that even her brother and mother were kept in the dark.
In accordance with her wishes, the singer’s son broke the news to his uncle in person in Taiwan on Monday, after she died on Jan 3 and her ashes were interred in a temple in her native Dasi in northern Taiwan on Sunday, said Apple Daily. She was 58.
Her brother, her oldest and only surviving sibling, was quoted as saying he had “many regrets”.
Her elderly mother is in a nursing home and does not know of her death, according to Apple Daily.
Monday was also the day Chiang announced Fong’s death at a press conference in Taipei.
The singer had moved to Hong Kong after she married Hong Kong businessman Chiu Wan Kee in 1980.
She lost him to lung cancer in 2009, after her youngest brother died of lymphoma in 2006 and her second brother also died of cancer in 2007. The couple are survived by their 23-year-old son.
Chiang said Fong had started preparing in May last year for a concert in the Taipei Arena, when she found that her vocal cords were acting up, reported Ming Pao Daily News.
She underwent a medical examination and was found to have terminal lung cancer, which was starting to spread to other areas of the body. She underwent chemotherapy from July to September, and her son, who is studying in Britain, flew home to Hong Kong to be with her.
But she worsened on New Year’s Day and was hospitalised. She died on Jan 3, at 3.19am – less than three weeks before Chinese New Year – Chiang said.
Speaking to Singapore’s Lianhe Wanbao on Tuesday, Chiang said they went to great lengths to keep the news under wraps. Only four people knew about her condition – her two lawyers in Hong Kong and Taiwan, her son and her female assistant. The handful of people at her funeral included her son’s former schoolmates.
At the hospital, the staff did not know Fong was a star. Nor did the doctor who treated her at her mansion, after her chemotherapy.
Chiang said her death was kept from her mother and brother because “on the one hand, she’s already in her 1980s or 90s, and it would have been inconvenient for her to take the plane to Hong Kong”.
He added: “On the other hand, we were worried about the news leaking out and more people finding out.”
Fong had been extremely health-conscious, said Apple Daily. She avoided cold food, fried food, pepper and chilli. She exercised and also did yoga.
After her husband’s death, she said she would comply with his wishes and lead a healthy, happy life.
She tried to be positive after her cancer diagnosis. Quoting her assistant, her lawyer said: “Sister Fong withstood the illness bravely.”
According to a statement on her official website, Fong insisted on picking out photographs to be sent to fans when she was on her sickbed.
She wrote her Christmas and New Year cards to them personally, as well as birthday cards sent to the fans born in January and February.
She started out in show business at age 18 and carried on singing even after turning deaf in her right ear at age 24, said Apple Daily.
Fong, who released 101 records, was known for her hits such as Applause and I Am A Cloud, as well as her hats.
She had more than 600 hats, and was rarely on stage without one. She said she started wearing them simply because “the response was surprisingly good” when she pulled one on for a performance to cover up her messy hair.
Rumours are rife that she has left hundreds of millions of dollars, as well as many unreleased songs, to her son. – The Straits Times Singapore/Asia News Network
Source: the star
Some of the oldies
1.意難忘 / 2.相思河畔 / 3.情人的眼淚
http://youtu.be/Pze4mmOiZF8
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