Tribute to a true professional
BY MICHAEL CHEANGPETALING JAYA: Close friends of Leslie Cheung gathered to talk about the late artiste, all saying that he was a true professional and a perfectionist.
All said they had not expected him to take his life although he had been depressed recently.
In an emotional special tribute on Astro's Wah Lai Toi last night, close friends of Cheung talked about the late singer and how his death has affected all of them.
Veteran Hong Kong actress Lydia Shum, a close friend of Cheung, said he used to talk to her about his feelings and that she never expected him to take his own life.
“Although he seemed depressed recently, he could (normally) snap out of it later. So, his death was very sudden, and very hard to accept,” she said.
Actor Ti Lung, who starred alongside Cheung in the hit A Better Tomorrow, said Cheung's friends had tried hard to cheer him up before his death.
“(Hong Kong actress) Brigette Lin told me that Leslie was very depressed, so we invited him to our homes for dinner and to chat,” Ti added.
They agreed that Cheung had always been a perfectionist when it came to work, and that he was an emotional person.
The one-hour special tribute in Hong Kong featured interviews with Cheung's other close friends, including actresses Cecilia Cheung and Karen Mok, as well as telephone interviews with singer Kelly Chen and Yip Tong.
Cecilia said that she still could not believe that Cheung was dead.
“When I was in the hospital, he would come visit me and comfort me,” she said, before being overcome by tears.
Also featured were Cheung's past music videos and movie footages, which included one particularly memorable stage performance in 1984 that featured him in a half-male, half-female costume.
His last appearance on stage was in March 8 during a charity concert in Hong Kong.
Cheung fell to his death from the 24th floor of a five-star hotel on April 1 in an apparent suicide.
A note was found on his body, stating that he was troubled by “affairs of the heart”.
Popular theories surrounding his death have revolved around a troubled relationship with his companion, known only as Mr Tong.
Cheung was a known homosexual, even though he claimed he was bisexual.
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