Hong Kong screen icon Grace Chang, known for her roles in film classics Mambo Girl (1957) and The Wild, Wild Rose (1960), has died at 93.
News of her death was shared by Hong Kong writer Dunn Shio Yu on Facebook on Aug 3, prompting an outpouring of tributes from her fans and industry peers.
“Ge Lan passed away peacefully this afternoon,” Dunn wrote in a now-deleted post, referring to the actress by her stage name.
Born in Nanjing, China, in 1933, Chang spent her early years in Shanghai. She moved to Hong Kong in 1949 where she rose to fame starring in the musical hit Mambo Girl, which sparked a mambo dance craze across Hong Kong and South-East Asia.
Known for her singing and dance skills, Chang became one of Cathay Organisation’s most celebrated leading ladies and starred in more than 30 films, including Mandarin-language hits Air Hostess (1959), June Bride (1960) and Sun, Moon And Star (1961).
A prominent icon of Mandarin musical cinema, Chang – born Chang Yu Fang – was among the first Chinese actresses to break into the international scene, making a cameo in the American film Soldier Of Fortune in 1954.
She announced her retirement from the film industry after starring in the two-part film The Story Of Three Loves (1964). She married tycoon Gao Fuquan in London in 1961 and gave birth to their son in 1966.
Gao died at 88 in 2003.
Chang made few public appearances after leaving the entertainment industry, devoting herself to Peking opera, a form of Chinese opera that incorporates singing, reciting, acting and martial arts.
Her classic songs, I Want Your Love (1957) and I Want To Fly To The Blue Sky from Air Hostess, were featured in Hollywood blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians (2018).
Retired Taiwanese actress Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia, 71, took to Chinese social media platform Weibo late on Aug 4, to share one of her last moments with Chang.
“Sister Ge Lan loved singing Peking Opera, but she hadn’t been to any performances for quite some time. When I went to visit her at her home, she was sitting in her wheelchair, half-asleep.”
Lin said she performed two Peking opera songs in front of Chang, when she last visited her.
Lin said she also sang and danced along with Chang’s housekeepers during her visit.
“As the two workers and I sang and danced the cha-cha and mambo right in front of her, her eyes immediately opened wide and sparkled, and a contented smile spread across her face,” Lin wrote. “That is my last memory of her.”
In a Facebook post on Aug 4, 64-year-old Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong said: “I have three idols, and Ge Lan is one of them. Upon hearing the news of her passing, I felt a moment of emptiness in my heart.
“Rest in peace, the eternal Mambo Girl.” - The Straits Times/ANN
