Top 10 Chinese celebrities who died young

   Leslie Cheung

 

Leslie Cheung [baidu.com]

Age of Death: 47

Nicknamed "Elder Brother", Leslie Cheung (Sept.12, 1956-April 1, 2003) was an internationally renowned musician and film star from Hong Kong. He was an important reprehensive of the Cantopop music. As an outstanding musician icon, he won many awards in Hong Kong, including the RTHK Golden Needle Award, the lifetime achievement award in Cantopop in 1999. He also displayed his talent in composition, wining a number of awards for the songs he wrote.

He's also an undisputed champion in film. During his lifetime, he played in 56 films, all showing great box-office appeal. Some of his films, including A Better Tomorrow(1986), A Better Tomorrow II（1987）, Rouge(1987), and A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), have been regarded as Hong Kong classics. His unrivaled masterpiece Farewell My Concubine (1992) is the first Chinese film to win the Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Tormented by depression, the 47-year superstar committed suicide by jumping off a high-rise hotel on April 1, 2003. Late Cheung was ranked 3rd among the top 5 global music icons and 4th among the top 25 greatest Asian film actors of all time complied by the U.S. broadcaster CNN in 2010.

Archive:

Place of birth: Hong Kong

Ancestry: Guangdong

Height: 175 cm

Occupation: Singer, actor, director and songwriter

Genre(s): Cantopop

Masterpieces(Movies): A Better Tomorrow, Rouge, A Better Tomorrow II, A Chinese Ghost Story, Once a Thief, Days of Being Wild, Farewell My Concubine, He's a Woman, She's a Man, Viva Erotica, Who's the Man, Who's the Woman, Happy Together, A Time to Remember and Inner Senses

Notable songs and albums: The Wind Blows On, Monica, Admire, Summer Romance, Hot Summer, Virgin Snow, Final Encounter, Salute , Silence is Golden and Beloved

Years active: 1977-2003