Jimmy Lo Kwok-tsim, a renowned Hong Kong lyricist who wrote theme songs and interludes for many popular television shows, has died at the age of 75.
His daughter, Thalea Lo, confirmed the news in a social media post on Wednesday evening, saying the popular lyricist died in his sleep.
“My father has passed away in his sleep this morning, he passed away peacefully,” she said. “I hope everyone can give me and my family some space, we will inform everyone later about his funeral arrangements.”
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Lo, who began his career in the 1970s, was known as one of his generation’s three major lyricists in Hong Kong, sharing the fame with Cheng Kwok-kong and the late James Wong Jim.
Lo wrote the theme songs for popular television shows such as Luk Siu-fung and The Romantic Swordsman in 1978.
The latter show’s theme song, sung by Cantopop legend Roman Tam, took the global Chinese market by storm as more than 30,000 copies of the record were sold.
The Cantonese lyrics he wrote in 1976 for a television show song, originally in Japanese, focused on the themes of courage and encouragement. The song was another big hit and remained a classic in Cantopop music.
In 2001, Lo was recognised by the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong with its Hall of Fame Award.
According to the society, Lo penned the lyrics of more than 1,000 Cantopop tunes and advertising jingles, many of which won awards.
“For him, pop lyrics are a form of literature that touches on a wide array of themes and is meant to be aesthetically conceived and convey vivid images,” the society said at the time. “The combination of this broad vision and his monumental talent provides his lyrics with a timeless quality.”
Among the celebrities who paid tribute to Lo on social media are singer-songwriter Albert Au Shui-keung, and singers Dominic Chow Kai-seng and Anthony Wong Yiu-ming.
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