Leslie Cheung RIP

I just heard that Leslie Cheung ( Zhang Guo Rong) died today in Hong Kong. he killed himself.

This guy was a really good actor. His better known films included:
Farewell My Concubine
Chinese Ghost Story
Happy Together
Viva Erotica
Temptress Moon
He’s a Woman She’s a Man
Ashes of Time
Eagle Shooting Heroes
The Bride with White Hair
Days of Being Wild
A Better Tomorrow (1 and 2)
Rouge

Any fan of Hong Kong cinema wil recognise most of theose films. Just refreshing my memory from the Internet Movie Database, I realised what an incredible body of work Leslie Cheung has left behind, including a lot of work with HK’s greatest director Wong Kar Wai (also Chen Kaige, John Woo and Tsui Hark). And he was only 47. Cheung was also one of the few openly gay actors in HK. It’s a sad day for Hong Kong cinema.

Brian

I am very saddened to read this. Unbelievable. I’ll never forget Leslie’s moving work in “Days of Being Wild.”

Gosh, I’m devastated :frowning: I love that actor!! Where did you hear that, Bri?

Some info and pictures on http://www.lesliecheung.com. However, with currently 1135 visitors online, the website seems a bit slow.

Iris

It was on the Chinese news last night. My wife was filling me in.

Brian

Yes, sad. It was a suicide after love went sour. I heard on the English news with Jeffrey Midish reporting on FTV TV last night at 11 pm. What was weird was that after the report from Hong Kong, Mindish the news anchor said : “Homosexual singer Leslie Cheung, dead tonight in Hong Kong, in an apparent suicide.”

I mean, did he have to say “homosexual” in the news summary? The report mentioned he had a lover named Tony, so it was obvious he was gay, although i must admit I didn’t know he was gay until just then. I don’t follow HK celeb stuff much. Sad all around.

Jeffrey, no need to say that! Although I think you were probably trying to illuminate a point to viewers, it backfired, i felt.

I guess a more appropriate Heading would be “Fool found dead on April fool’s day”

foolx

watched some of his films back in the late 80’s and listened to some his music when i was a kid, but he’s passe now…well i guess he’s totally passed away now, but my mom and sis can’t stop gabbing about him and all that other HK gossip argh :x

What’s interesting to me is how the local media here is dwelling on his death, but NOT talking about the reasons why he died. Depression, feelings of worthlessness, love gone sour, etc…

It’s not like the guy just up and died. He JUMPED from a 24F window, a real sui-cide. DIY murder. I think we need to know more about WHY he did it, and what the other lover THINKS about it.

Otherwise, how can the young kids learn from this. Suicide is NOT painless…

I heard that the Times isn’t reporting this story because he was gay. Sheesh.

And he probably had NO IDEA how to properly measure his phallus, either.

While having a coffee break, I was hesitating whether to write this or not…

Mysterious death -

This morning at 9:20 am, a religious (Buddhistic) ceremony to commemorate Leslie’s soul took place at Yeo-Rae temple in Kyunggi-Province in Korea.

Saddened by the hurried funeral and cremation in HK (partly due to SARS), it was suggested by someone in Korea to organize this ceremony.

His family and close friends from Hong Kong came to Korea to participate in this ceremony and about 400 of his fans also took part in it.

I wholeheartedly pray his soul may rest in heaven.

Have been a big fan of him since I was a teenage girl.

I adored his charisma and acting, which was described as “natural gift from God.”

Read from Korean Yahoo News concerning several mysteries of his death (in a number of articles).

The following are some of them. (I wrote a similar posting in his official fan site in the desperate hope to find the truth…)

1. His dead body did not look like the one that leaped from the 24th floor.

Medical experts say even when dropping from 12 floor, the skull should have been broken terribly, blood, flesh, soemtimes guts are torn (because of blood pressure inside the body) and spread all over.

Often these people die either during the plunge (with heart attack) or as soon as they hit the ground.

I witnessed a neighbor who leaped herself from the 15th floor and the dead body looked like that

and there was a undescribably huge THUNDEROUS sound

but with Leslie’s case, no one heard the sound and he was found by a passersby.

His dead body looked WAY too intact…just some blood only.

According to a Korean medical expert, it appeared like dropping from 5th of 6th floor. (Someone could have murdered and dropped him.)

He did not die at the spot, but after he was sent to a hopspital.

2. He appeared at the hotel late afternoon, had orange juice, took exercises, had two different appointments with another singer (Jacky Cheung) and then his former manager to plan about 2004 joint concert, etc.

No person who wants to commit suicide takes an exercise.

As any gym junkie knows, exercise produces endolphine that makes you happy.

3. The original will of his handwriting was NOT publicly disclosed by Hong Kong police!

And it is said to be very short.

But a psychologist says that a person who commits suicide prepares and writes a long will - at least one full page, not a few sentences scribbled at a hotel cafe after exercise and drinking orange juice.

4. At the time of the incident, he had an appointment with his former manager.

When she called him, he said that he was in the middle of parking a car but then, soon he was found dead by someone on the ground - with NO huge “THUMP” sound heard.

This was also the time when he had a badminton appointment with Mr. Tong (according to Mr. Tong), to whom he left behind all his money.

Mr. Tong who had not appeared at his death on April 1 suddenly appeared the next day and told so to the press.

But according to Leslie’s former manager, Leslie had a work-related appointment with her at that time.

It sounds very fishy.

5. Leslie had been wearing a mask (!!!) against SARS and often told people around him to do so.

His behaviors were the same as usual…very busy and giving charity concerts, planning 2004 concerts, etc.

He was even nominated as the best actor at Hong Kong Golden Horse Film Festival.

It is said that drastic changes happen among those who decide to take their own lives.

But Andy Lau who’d had dinner with him a few days before said Leslie was like as usual.

6. According to a psychologist, a person who decides to commit suicide does not leap himself, carrying so many things as usual!

Leslie was found with heavy sets of various keys, a wallet with 9000 HK dollars (about 1000 US dollars), 2 mobile phones, a SARS prevention mask, etc. and a will!!

They say one who leaps himself from a building NEVER keeps his will in the jacket for fear it will be damaged with blood!

A will is for showing.

They do not leap themselves with it.

7. Right before his death, he had joined a few enormous amount of life insurances!

8. In spite of all the above and more mysteries, Hong Kong police declared his death as a suicide and told they had no intention to do medical analysis of his dead body.

His family also decided to cremate his body without any forensic investigation.

How come family could do so? After his dead body was cremated, all the evidences could have gone…

There was this theory that there could have been some sort of pressure…from HK Triad or something.

It is a known fact that HK society, generally restaurants, entertainers (singers, actors/actresses), even police have been threatened, and strongly influenced by Triad.

9. A year ago, Leslie told at an interview, when asked whom he loves the most in the world, he said “myself” and sang a song with that title and talked vigorously about his future plan.

A person who loves himself and who has all his car numbers (till the last one) as “339” doesn’t kill himself!

339 means “longevity (long life)” in fengshui.

I have an impression that due to SARS, his death was not thoughly examined.

Plagued by the epidemic, Hong Kong did not seem to have “willingness” or “capability” to investigate the TRUTH of his death.

We all need to know what REALLY happened…

I was upset about Hong Kong paparazzi’s sensationlization of his (possible) homosexual relation rather than trying to find the truth.

This unfair treatment of the death of Leslie Cheung (one of the symbols of Hong Kong noir films or generally Hong Kong films) seems to symbolize the demise of the conscience of Hong Kong. I feel my undying affection for Hong Kong films…is…gone.

My fave article about Leslie
http://www.time.com/time/asia/arts/daily/0,9754,440214-1,00.html


Music is spiritual. The music business is not.

Not me. I couldn’t care less. I see his handlers have been pulling out all the stops to cash on his death though – the DVD rental shops are now full of “in memoriam boxed sets” crap. :unamused: