Dearly departed: A filepic of Hon Ying (left) with fellow co-stars of ‘Empat Sekawan’ (from second left) Hoi, Wong and Lai. Hon Ying was the Cantonese speaker on the multi-dialect show.
PETALING JAYA: To many Malaysians who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, local actress Hon Ying was a familiar face.
Some would even go as far as to call her a “mother figure” as she appeared on a weekly basis on the popular multi-dialect series Empat Sekawan.
Fans expressed sadness upon hearing of the passing of Hon Ying, the last surviving member of the beloved sitcom. She died on Sunday at age 95.
The actress’ grandson, Bill Lai, said she passed away peacefully in her sleep in Raub, Pahang, where she was visiting her only son.
“Although she lived in Kuala Lumpur, we would take our grandmother back to her hometown every now and then for visits,” Bill told The Star.
Hon Ying, whose real name is Ho Yit Sin, was best known for her role in the classic TV sitcom Empat Sekawan, which ran on RTM from 1966 to 1988.
She acted in the series alongside co-stars Datuk Lai Meng, Hoi Yong and Wong Hor.
Hoi Yong and Wong Hor died in the 1970s, while Lai Meng passed away in 2018.
Another cast member who joined later, Yap Chin Fong, died in November last year aged 74.
“Empat Sekawan was a staple show for many of us in the 1970s. There were only two TV channels and limited local shows then, and as far as I can recall, Empat Sekawan was the only Chinese show on TV,” said retiree Liza Tan.
“So many of us grew up watching Aunty Lai Meng and Aunty Hon Ying. They were like mother figures to us.”
Wong Tuck Cheong, 79, who watched the black-and-white show as a child, said Hon Ying contributed to the excellent ensemble performances of Empat Sekawan.
“I met her personally and I remember her as a sweet and soft-spoken person.
“I believe she was the one who spoke Cantonese on the show,” he said.
Hon Ying started her career in the entertainment industry on a radio show in 1949.
That led to the Empat Sekawan radio show, which was recorded in a makeshift studio in KL and broadcast to the New Villages. (These were settlements created during the last days of British rule.)
The radio show was so popular that it was turned into a TV show in 1966.
The sitcom was equally successful, turning Hon Ying and Lai Meng into household names.
Malaysian artist/printmaker Long Thien Shih became hooked on Empat Sekawan when he was 12.
“It was a radio show in the 1950s and I listened to it every week; it was on weekly if I am not mistaken.
“Each character spoke in a different dialect – Hakka, Hokkien, Cantonese – and they would have conversations like that. Their jokes were hilarious,” Long, 76, said.
In the 1960s, Long worked as a set artist at RTM and would often see the cast at the station’s base in Angkasapuri, KL.
“I remember seeing the actors in the makeup room and at the RTM cafeteria. They seemed down-to-earth, ordinary folk outside the show,” he said.
Datuk Yasmin Yusuff, a radio presenter at RTM in the 1980s, also recalled Empat Sekawan as a much-loved series.
“The cast was friendly to all,” said Yasmin, who also acted in RTM dramas.
Hon Ying led a modest life, even at the height of her career.
“I’m not exactly rich from working on Empat Sekawan but then I’m not exactly poor either. You could say I am quite contented,” the actress told The Star in a 1982 interview.
After Empat Sekawan ended its run, Hon Ying went on to star in several local Chinese dramas.
She then scaled down her acting jobs and eventually retired.
According to Bill, his grandmother didn’t suffer from any major illnesses.
However, she was hospitalised in October after she felt some discomfort in her heart.
“We brought her to the hospital so she could get checked. She was still strong, had a clear mind and could recognise people. She was also able to move about by herself.
“She always took good care of us. She was a capable and independent woman. We are very fortunate to have had her in our lives,” said Bill.
Hon Ying leaves behind a son and a daughter-in-law, four grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
Her funeral will be held tomorrow at Nirvana Memorial Center in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur.
