On March 1st, the company of “King of Golden Melody” Khalil Fong confirmed that he passed away on February 21st after a 5-year battle with illness, at the age of 41, shocking the music industry. In the short month of February, at least 7 artists have been confirmed to have passed away, including several veteran artists.
His management company “Fu Music” issued a statement on March 1st announcing that the 41-year-old King of Golden Melody Khalil Fong had passed away on the morning of February 21st, but did not disclose the specific illness that led to his departure.
Fifteen years ago, Khalil Fong suffered from a condition commonly known as “pneumothorax” or “exploded lungs”, which required him to be hospitalized several times without improvement. In recent years, he was frequently hospitalized, with his agent stating that he was troubled by lung issues but continued to work diligently, determined not to disappoint his fans who had been waiting for him.
In 2017, after 12 years in the industry, Khalil Fong finally won the Best Male Singer award at the Taiwan Golden Melody Awards for his album “JTW Journey to the West”. Upon receiving the award, he expressed his gratitude to his mother for supporting him all the way and emotionally declared, “Music has given me a lot, and I hope to give back more to the music community. I will continue to strive.” In 2021, he won the Best Single Producer Award at the Golden Melody Awards with his work on “Duality”.
In the past month of February, several other artists also passed away.
On February 2nd, Taiwanese artist Barbie Hsu passed away from flu complications and pneumonia during a holiday trip to Japan at the age of 48. She was widely known for her diverse works in variety shows, music, films, and TV dramas, especially for her role as “Shancai” in the popular drama “Meteor Garden”.
On February 11th, mainland Chinese actor Gao Liang suddenly passed away in Chengdu at the age of 50 due to an unexpected illness. Born into a family of performers, with his father being the veteran actor Gao Ming and his mother being actress Duan Ruifen, Gao Liang’s passing was a poignant loss to many as his 83-year-old father bid farewell to his son.
South Korean actress Kim Saeron, who started her career as a child star, was found collapsed at her home on February 16th at the young age of 25. Achieving fame at a young age with her role alongside Won Bin in “The Man from Nowhere” at the age of 9, she garnered multiple awards including Best New Actress at the Korean Film Awards before starring in works like “Night Beasts” and “Unknowing”.
Michelle Trachtenberg, known for her role as the villainous “Georgina Sparks” on the iconic series “Gossip Girl”, was found dead in a New York apartment on the morning of February 26th and despite emergency medical treatment, she did not survive, passing away at the age of 39.
Kang Myung-joo, the female star who portrayed a judge in the hit 2022 Korean drama series “Sinister Lawyer Yu Yeongyool”, died on February 27th after battling cancer. The news of her passing spread across major Asian media outlets on March 1st.
Taiwanese veteran artist Yeh Ching-tien recently passed away due to heart failure at the age of 69. Fellow artist Tianwa expressed her thoughts on Facebook on February 28th, mentioning Yeh Ching-tien’s upcoming cremation on March 1st without a public memorial service, lamenting the loss of two friends within a month. Known for impersonating singer Yeh Chi-tien for over 50 years, Yeh Ching-tien was dubbed the “Little Yeh Chi-tien”.
Gene Hackman, the legendary Hollywood actor who won two Academy Awards, was found dead in his home on February 26th alongside his wife and their dog, marking a tragic turn of events that shocked global film enthusiasts. Throughout his 40-year film career, Gene Hackman appeared in classic films like “The French Connection”, “Bonnie and Clyde”, and “The Royal Tenenbaums”.