The death of late Hong Kong pop diva Anita Mui’s mother Tam Mei Kam has brought their family spat back to the spotlight.
Tam, widely known as “Mother Mui”, collapsed and lost consciousness while eating at her home on Aug 30. She was taken to Ruttonjee Hospital and was later pronounced dead. She was 102.
Tam is survived by her elder son Mui Kai Ming, 74, whom she disowned in 2022. He reportedly has not met his mother for about two years.
Her daughter Anita Mui, who was regarded as the “Queen of Cantopop”, died at age 40 in December 2003 from cervical cancer. Her younger son Tak Ming died of throat cancer at 62 in 2015, and her elder daughter Ann died of cervical cancer at 40 in 2000.
Anita Mui’s estate has repeatedly made headlines after her death in 2003.
The late actress-singer stated in her will that her estate was to be managed by a trust fund and that her mother be provided with a monthly living allowance. The remainder of the estate would be donated to a Buddhist association after Tam’s death.
However, Tam has gone to court several times to contest the will and seek a lump sum or to be the sole beneficiary of the estate in lieu of periodical payments.
Her legal applications were rejected several times by the court, though it made adjustments to increase her monthly allowance. The elderly woman notched up substantial legal fees as a result of the protracted litigation and once faced bankruptcy before the case was dismissed by the court.
Tam’s relationship with Kai Ming also began to sour in 2021 when he sued the production company behind the movie Anita (2021) for alleged trademark infringements. The biopic of the superstar starred Hong Kong model-actress Louise Wong as Anita Mui.
Tam accused him of being obsessed with money and issued a statement to distance herself from the lawsuit. She announced that she has severed ties with him, in a notice published in Hong Kong newspapers in 2022. - The Straits Times/ANN
