| Words and Photos: Yan Sham-Shackleton |
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| Fans Pay Last Respects to Hong Kong Star Cheung Mon Apr 7, 9:04 AM ET Rueters By Carrie Lee HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hundreds of grieving fans thronged a funeral parlor in Hong Kong on Monday to pay their last respects to Cantonese pop star and actor Leslie Cheung (news), whose suicide last week shocked Chinese communities worldwide. "I'm of course very sad. I've cried for a few days," said Maggie Chiu, a 20-year-old student, as she held a bouquet. "I've liked him since I was a child." Cheung, an evergreen pop star and actor who looked a decade younger than his 46 years, leapt out of a window of the Mandarin Oriental hotel on April 1, leaving behind a suicide note which newspapers said revealed emotional problems. As rain fell, umbrella-toting fans from Hong Kong and abroad began queuing up outside the funeral hall hours before the ceremony opened. Some were wiping away tears and singing Cheung's hit songs. Many were wearing face masks to ward off a deadly respiratory virus that has already killed 23 people in Hong Kong and at least 90 people worldwide. "Miss you forever!," read one of the numerous wreaths flanking the entrance to the Hong Kong Funeral Home on eastern Hong Kong island. Cheung's body will be cremated on Tuesday. Cheung was one of the first Asian stars to play openly gay characters in films. He was best known globally for his part in the blockbuster "Farewell My Concubine," where he played a homosexual Chinese opera singer -- a role which closely mirrored his life. For days, fans have been putting flowers on the pavement outside the hotel where he jumped to his death. Hong Kong television stations have been showing commemorative programs and radio stations have been playing his hit songs, mostly romantic ballads. A group of Buddhists are planning a prayer meeting for him on Tuesday evening while gay organizations in Hong Kong and Taiwan intend to mark April 1 as "Leslie Day." The youngest of 10 children, Cheung studied at Leeds University in Britain before returning to Hong Kong. His show business career began when he won second prize in a singing contest in 1977 and his music has since won the hearts of many Chinese-speaking people worldwide. But it was only in the 1980s, when he branched into movies, that his career really took off. Later, he played in "Farewell My Concubine," an acclaimed 1993 film which scooped up a host of awards including the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (news - web sites). |