Taiwanese pop diva Fong Fei-fei (鳳飛飛), whose legacy includes 81 albums and numerous popular singles, died of lung cancer in Hong Kong on Jan. 3, a representative confirmed yesterday. She was 58.
Lawyer Chiang Yen-wei (江燕偉) said the singer’s body has been cremated and the urn placed at a Fokuangshan-affiliated temple in Dasi Township (大溪), Taoyuan County, where Fong was born.
According to Fong’s official Web site, the singer had thanked her fans for supporting her throughout her career.
Photo: CNA
“I have lived a happy and wonderful life,” Fong said. “Thank you for being by my side all this time, my brothers and sisters. As for the songs I never got to sing in this life, I will sing them to you in my next life.”
The Web site said that Fong had insisted on personally signing birthday and New Year cards for fans, even during the last month of her life.
Chiang said Fong’s death had only been announced now because she wanted a low-key funeral.
“It [her death] happened at a time that was very close to the Lunar New Year holiday,” he said. “Fong was a very considerate person and wanted to keep everything low-key. She insisted that we not make an announcement until after the funeral was over. We hope fans will understand why we chose to handle the matter in this way.”
Chiang said that Fong canceled a concert in June last year after finding something wrong with her vocal cords.
After comprehensive examinations, she was diagnosed with lung cancer, which had already affected her vocal cords, he said.
Fong apologized to her fans for canceling the concert at the last minute, but said that doctors had recommended she rest for a year to recuperate.
Born Lin Chiu-luan (林秋鸞) in August 1953, Fong’s talent was first discovered at a singing contest in 1968.
Some of her popular songs include Wish You Happiness (祝妳幸福), I am a Cloud (我是一片雲), The Wild Goose on the Wing (雁兒在林梢) and When I Heard the Applause (掌聲響起).
Fong was known as the “Queen of Hats,” because she wore a different hat every time she performed.
Her unique voice and style made her a popular figure for other singers to imitate.
In addition to singing, Fong was also cast in several movies and TV dramas in the 1970s and 1980s and hosted a number of entertainment shows.
In 1980, she married Hong Kong businessman Zhao Hongqi (趙宏琦), who died of lung cancer in 2009 at the age of 70.
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS