Watching the News of Anita's Funeral On Public TV
--
The Canto-pop diva Anita Mui died Tuesday in Hong Kong of cervical cancer. She was 40.
.
The actors Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh were among her friends who had kept vigil overnight at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital. Another friend, the fashion designer Eddie Lau, said the singer had died of lung failure caused by her illness.
.
The singer disclosed in September that she had the disease and was undergoing chemotherapy. She had kept a low profile since she sold out an eight-night concert run in Hong Kong that ended on Nov. 15.
.
Mui, known as the "Big Sister" of Hong Kong show business, began her singing career in 1968.
.
At the age of 5 she was singing Chinese opera and pop songs in theaters, but her big break came in 1982 when she won a singing contest against 3,000 other performers.
.
Mui went on to carve out a reputation as "the Madonna of Asia" with her outrageous costumes, raunchy stage performances and a stream of hits that netted her numerous awards and helped transcend the image of Chinese female singers. Mui's uniquely deep voice was used for the theme songs in dozens of films and shows. She was phenomenally popular across Asia.
.
She starred in more than 40 movies over 20 years, films including the "Heroic Trio" and "Drunken Master 2." (Reuters, AFP)
