| Words and Photos: Yan Sham-Shackleton |
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| www.goodbyeleslie.com |
| Singapore: Fans Pay Respect to Leslie in Hotel Phoenix April 2003 She was there to pay her last respects like all the others. Feeling keenly for the late singer, Chennal U artiste Celest Chong was all teary-eyed as she stood in front of the portrait of late Hong Kong pop star, Leslie Cheung, who had jumped to his death last week. Softly, she added: "I've always admired him and he was like a brother to me. I can't believe he is gone." Her thoughts must have been echoed by the hundreds of fans who streamed into Hotel Phoenix in Singapore last night. They were there to attend a memorial gathering that was organized by the hotel, Universal Music and Rock Records. The three companies worked together to gather fans, CDSs, old records, and videotapes. Three large television sets were put up to showcase Leslie's work. By the time fans streamed in, the hotel's basement looked like a funeral parlour with wreaths and garlands. At 6pm, people were lining up orderly at the basement of the hotel, waiting to sing the message board -which will be sent to Hong Kong - and to "kew tow" (bow) in front of Leslie's portrait. At the services, some wept, while others talked and shared their memories of their idol. Clelest, who is a singer with Universal Music, said, "I am really happy the hotel set this up. I think so many things have happened in such a short time that we must pull together and be strong." She added that Leslie always seemed unbreakable to her even though he looked so fragile. "I ate breakfast with him once and I could feel he was a strong person, so I thought that the news of his death was a joke a first." One fan, who wanted to be known as Ms. Foo, said she would never be able to "worship" someone else the same way again. Ms. Foo, who was at the hotel as early as 11am, lamented: "When he died, part of me died too. I can no longer get all excited and exuberant about another artiste again. "I used to do all sorts of crazy things like calling the hotel he stayed in and pretending I was someone from the record company to find out his whereabouts. Fans Need Closure Like Celest, the 46 year old bank officer was glad for this memorial. "In a way, fans need closure and this provides an opportunity. I thought of going to Hong Kong for his funeral but I realized I couldn't confront the whole thing." Said ms. Foo. Mr Terence Ang, head of corporate communications for the hotel, said the idea of the event came about because some of the staff members were grieving for their idol. Mr Ang said, "Some wanted to go to Leslie's funeral but we felt it was unsafe for them to go to Hong Kong now. But we understand they would like to send him off, so we decided to provide a venue for fans to pay their last respects to him. |