logo
Gossip mill: Wife of veteran Hong Kong actor Ai Wai dies of liver disease, Kwon Yul announces wedding, Shinee's new single has same name as late Jonghyun's final album

Gossip mill: Wife of veteran Hong Kong actor Ai Wai dies of liver disease, Kwon Yul announces wedding, Shinee's new single has same name as late Jonghyun's final album

AsiaOne19-05-2025
Veteran Hong Kong actor Ai Wai's wife Lisa Chan died on May 18 from liver disease while waiting for a transplant. She was 61.
According to Hong Kong media, she suffered from complications related to polycystic liver and kidney disease and, in 2015, had surgery to remove a 6kg uterine tumour.
Following the surgery, fluid reportedly built up in her liver and kidneys, leading to her liver function decreasing to 20 per cent.
Ai Wai, known for his roles in Running Out of Time (1999), Flash Point (2007) and Hooked on You (2007), made an appeal on Facebook on May 10 after Chan was hospitalised.
The 66-year-old wrote: "My wife's condition is critical, and she was put on the waiting list for a liver transplant about two months ago. Unfortunately, there is still no suitable liver, and all her young family members are not healthy enough.
"Now I can only do my best. I would like to appeal here, hoping that there are kind-hearted people willing to donate. Hong Kong's liver transplant technology is very mature now, and the risk of accidents to donors is as low as one to two per cent... I would be very grateful."
However, Chan was transferred to the ICU after contracting a bacterial infection and developing fluid in her abdomen, according to TVB Entertainment News. She succumbed to her illness at around 1pm on May 18.
The couple married in 2002. They separated in 2020 over her mahjong addiction, but reunited two years later. Kwon Yul announces wedding
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/C9Oz2ezRPVG/[/embed]
South Korean actor Kwon Yul is about to get married.
Earlier today, his agency J,wide-Company released a statement announcing the good news.
"Actor Kwon Yul has met a precious person with whom he wishes to spend the rest of his life, and the two will be tying the knot on May 24," they wrote. "Out of consideration for the non-celebrity bride-to-be and both families, the wedding will be held privately at a location in Seoul.
"We ask for your warm blessings and support for actor Kwon Yul who is about to embark on a new chapter in life. Kwon Yul will continue to greet [audiences] through various projects as an actor, showing his best on screen. Thank you."
Kwon Yul, 42, made his acting debut in 2007's Mackerel Run. His acting credits include My Fair Lady (2009), Dali & Cocky Prince (2021) and My Sweet Mobster (2024). Shinee's new single has same name as late Jonghyun's final album
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/DJzJxXKPs6J/?hl=en[/embed]
K-pop boy band Shinee is set to release a new single on May 25 that shares the same name as late member Jonghyun's final album: Poet | Artist.
The day also marks the group's 17th debut anniversary.
Shinee posted a trailer for the upcoming project that included mascots of all the members, including Jonghyun, earning comments of "Shinee is five" and "5hinee" from fans.
Jonghyun died in December 2017 from suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, and his album Poet | Artist was released posthumously the next month.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/DJzJpsPvdTy/?hl=en[/embed]
The plushies are included with the upcoming release, and fans were also heartened to find out that while each living member "holds" their plushie on the packaging, Jonghyun's plushie is "held" by the other four members: Onew, Key, Minho and Taemin.
Shinee is also holding a three-day concert between May 23 and 25 in Seoul to commemorate their anniversary.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/DI-JXtFSr1c/[/embed] Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444
Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
Institute of Mental Health's Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222
Silver Ribbon: 6386-1928
Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788
Community Health Assessment Team: 6493-6500/1
Counselling TOUCHline (Counselling): 1800-377-2252 TOUCH Care Line (for seniors, caregivers): 6804-6555 Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800
Online resources mindline.sg stayprepared.sg/mymentalhealth ec2.sg www.tinklefriend.sg www.chat.mentalhealth.sg
[[nid:717827]]
drimac@asiaone.com
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Sorry, not sorry: How China's nationalistic netizens played into Malaysian rapper Namewee's hands
Sorry, not sorry: How China's nationalistic netizens played into Malaysian rapper Namewee's hands

Straits Times

time7 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Sorry, not sorry: How China's nationalistic netizens played into Malaysian rapper Namewee's hands

Find out what's new on ST website and app. Namewee is boycotted on the mainland for his 'anti-China stance', after his songs mocked the country's leader and nationalistic netizens. HONG KONG – If a picture speaks a thousand words, a removed picture shouts out even more. Controversial Malaysian rapper Namewee on July 21 took down photos he had earlier posted on Facebook of himself with actor Eric Tsang and singer Kenny Bee. This came after the two veteran Hong Kong celebrities issued formal apologies for their appearance alongside the rapper, for which they caught flak from Chinese netizens. Namewee is boycotted on the mainland for his 'anti-China stance', after his songs mocked the country's leader and nationalistic netizens. In a fresh Facebook post on the same day the pictures were taken down, Namewee shared his latest song, Letter of Apology . He cited the lyrics: 'I'm now ready to admit my mistakes/ Although it's just a small issue/ I'm willing to bow down and admit that I'm weak/ And reflect on all my foolish mistakes.' It was a master stroke: In an instant, he generated free, large-scale publicity for his most recent work, simultaneously putting on display the absurdity of the nationalistic outcry over the photos and the motivation for the artistes' apologies as implied in his new song. Namewee's initial post on July 19 had seemed innocuous enough. It was just pictures of the celebrities smiling for the camera, with his message in Chinese stating merely 'wishing you a successful performance tonight', ahead of a concert taking place that night in Genting, Malaysia. It looked and read like an innocent post from any other delighted supporter of Tsang and Bee who had been lucky enough to meet their idols in person. But it was the Chinese netizens' outrage over the post, and the pandering apologies it immediately elicited from the Hong Kong artistes who quickly sought to distance themselves from the rapper, that made it news. And Namewee cleverly capitalised on that to draw attention to his latest song, which – coincidentally or not – touches on a similar topic and had until now gone largely unnoticed elsewhere, especially on the mainland where his works are banned. With one innocuous post, and then its removal, the singer channelled outcry against him into publicity for his latest satire. The official music video for Letter of Apology shows the rapper at a press conference –speaking in mainland-accented Chinese – stating his desire to 'clarify matters' before breaking down in mock tears, bowing in apparent repentance, and crooning his 'apology' to his audience. A description – in Chinese – of the song on his official YouTube channel reads: 'After (issuing) the letter of apology, you will be propelled to fame and riches, arriving at the zenith of your lifetime… Only after writing my letter of apology, will I achieve prosperity! ' The song satirises the self-criticism and self-censorship demanded by China's hypersensitive, ultranationalistic keyboard warriors from those public figures who inadvertently offend the lucrative mainland market they cater to. Its lyrics also hint at the sense of self that some celebrities sacrifice to stay on the right side of their Chinese audiences, with one stanza stating: 'Can you accept/ That I can now only voicelessly await my fate/ No more need to wonder/ If I can still call this life my own.' Taiwan-based Hong Kong political commentator Sang Pu said he found Namewee's self-censorship of the photos and his subsequent post sharing his music video a 'brilliant' move. 'Namewee's deletion of the pictures caused them to be more widely circulated,' Mr Sang told The Straits Times. 'The photos resulted in the apologies from Eric Tsang and Kenny Bee, which then allowed Namewee to publicly juxtapose the two artistes' letters of repentance against the scenario depicted in his song.' 'From this, we can see how sharp-witted and humorous Namewee is,' he added. Muar-born Namewee, 42, also known as Wee Meng Chee or Huang Mingzhi, made his name producing songs that poke fun at sensitive political issues . He has been blacklisted in China since 2021, after the release of his ballad single Fragile, which contains barbed references to President Xi Jinping and issues including the country's tight censorship . In 2023, Namewee revealed that he was banned from performing in Hong Kong as well. Tsang's July 21 apology on Weibo, while not directly naming Namewee, expressed regret over the 'unintentional mistake' of having taken a photo with 'a certain person' whose background he had been 'unaware of'. 'As a Chinese citizen, I've always been committed to safeguarding our country's dignity and national sentiment,' Tsang wrote in Chinese. 'If I had known (his background), I would never have had any contact with him.' Bee issued an almost-identical apology on his own Weibo account. Tsang, 72, who has been in the show business since the 1980s, is general manager of Hong Kong's biggest television broadcaster TVB, which is expanding significantly in mainland China. Bee, also 72, was lead vocalist of Hong Kong 1970s pop group The Wynners and has in recent years taken on several minor acting gigs produced in mainland China. The two artistes' grovelling apologies are just the latest illustration of the pressures that celebrities can face even when they are not major players in the mainland market. But their eagerness to clarify the matter could also be linked in part to the additional spectre of a national security law over Hong Kong society. Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after mass anti-government protests in 2019 and early 2020. Hong Kong subsequently introduced its own such legislation in 2024. The emphasis on national security in the city since then has resulted in its people increasingly policing their opinions made in public. Under Hong Kong law, sedition can also cover anything that incites 'hatred, contempt, dissatisfaction or disaffection' with the authorities. While it is clear that Tsang and Bee have not contravened any law, appearing to be aligned with Namewee whose work mocks China – however tenuous the link – could still potentially cause a rift not just with their mainland business partners and supporters, but also among those in Hong Kong. Ultimately, though, the artistes' main motivation for their apology is essentially 'greed', according to Mr Sang. 'The reason (Tsang and Bee) allowed themselves to be controlled by their entertainment companies and to publish the formal apologies scripted for them, is because of the money they still hope to make off their mainland audiences,' he said. 'This is a choice they must make: Would they prefer to eat standing (by their own principles), or do they want to eat on their knees (at the mercy of others).'

Shinee's Taemin wants to 'create new memories' with fans at Waterbomb Singapore 2025, Entertainment News
Shinee's Taemin wants to 'create new memories' with fans at Waterbomb Singapore 2025, Entertainment News

AsiaOne

timea day ago

  • AsiaOne

Shinee's Taemin wants to 'create new memories' with fans at Waterbomb Singapore 2025, Entertainment News

He's previously driven fans wild at Waterbomb Tokyo 2023 and Seoul 2024, and now it's Singapore's turn. What is Shinee's Taemin looking forward to during the wet and wild festival on Aug 30? "I'm so excited to meet my fans again," the 32-year-old K-pop star told AsiaOne recently. "I want to create new memories with them through this festival, which will have a different vibe from my tours, and I will treasure these new experiences." Taemin is also eager to eat chilli and black pepper crab, which he added are his favourite things about Singapore. [embed] His bandmate Minho will also be performing at the festival on the same day, and fans are hoping for the duo to reunite on stage. [embed] Shinee recently released an album containing two singles on their 17th debut anniversary in May, with one song written by their late member Jonghyun and featuring his voice on the bridge. Despite joining a new agency for his solo career, Taemin told us: "Honestly, working on albums with my fellow members always feels very natural and comfortable due to our familiarity." He added: "Releasing an album featuring a special song left by our member Jonghyun was deeply meaningful. "I recall recording it with the heartfelt wish that those cherished emotions would resonate with the listeners." When it comes to his own solo work, Taemin shared that he is "continuously working on new albums". "It feels like an ongoing process of sharing my evolving identity as a musician," he added. Waterbomb Singapore 2025 at Siloso Beach, Sentosa, will also feature Exid, Huta (aka Minhyuk) from BtoB, Sorn and Seungyeon from CLC and local singer WhyLucas on Aug 30. 2NE1, Lee Young-ji, Jay B and more will take to the stage on Aug 31. Tickets from $205 are available on Ticketmaster. [[nid:712326]] drimac@ No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store