Li Ya-ping (left) filmed the variety show 'Super Lucky' with her daughter-in-law Chang Yuan-rou on Dec 17. Photo: Big Star/Facebook
Taiwanese singer Li Ya-ping sparked concern about her health after she revealed she is experiencing symptoms of dementia and memory loss.
The 75-year-old, making her first television appearance in recent years, said doctors told her that her condition is a complication stemming from years of depression, social withdrawal and bipolar disorder.
“I’m chatting with you now, but I may forget later who I have talked to,” she said in an exclusive interview with Taiwanese news portal SET News published on Dec 18. “Sometimes I went to the doctor and left without picking up my medication.”
Li spoke about her condition while filming the variety show Super Lucky with her daughter-in-law Chang Yuan-rou on Dec 17.
It came a week after her husband, fellow singer and former legislator Yu Tian, 77, told the media on Dec 11 that he had his prostate removed in 2018 after he was diagnosed with Stage 3 prostate cancer.
Responding to Yu’s claim that she often nags at home, Li said she would talk to herself while walking around at home, and would even mistake him as her father.
“I would see an empty chair at the dining table and say, ‘Didn’t Ya-fu just eat there?’” she added, referring to her younger brother who died in 2019.
Known for her rousing rendition of the song Wake Up, Lei Meng Na (1971), Li said she has also confused day and night.
“I once brushed my teeth and changed clothes at 4am, getting ready to go out,” she said. “They had to remind me it was 4am and asked where I was going. I thought it was 4pm and even dreamt my bedroom was moved to a stage.”
Li said she has suffered from emotional and mental health issues for many years, often staying indoors for extended periods. She did not leave home for a year, and frequently locked herself in her room.
Her elder daughter Sabrina, concerned about her physical and mental state, encouraged her to venture outdoors, accept media appearances and engage with the outside world.
“She felt that my constant depression, emotional instability and withdrawal were unsustainable,” Li said.
The singer did not rule out appearing on television more often, but said she would consider accepting only shows with suitable themes. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
