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Hong Kong pop diva Anita Mui dies of cancer
2003-12-30
HONG KONG - Hong Kong pop diva Anita Mui, known to Chinese people across the globe as the "Asian Madonna," died on Tuesday after losing a battle with cervical cancer. She was 40.Action movie star Jackie Chan and actress Michelle Yeoh were among friends who had kept vigil overnight at the Hong Kong Sanitorium & Hospital. "She went peacefully and beautifully. Her own last wish was that her fans and reporters could let her go quietly, not to cry and call out her name," Chan told reporters after her death. "She really loved to be beautiful," he said. Another close friend, fashion designer Eddie Lau, said the singer had died of lung failure caused by her illness. "Her condition deteriorated very rapidly last night. But with her strong will, she waited until she had seen all her best friends for the last time," said entertainer Eric Tsang, weeping. Mui's funeral will be on January 11-12. Often compared to Madonna, Mui was one of Hong Kong's hottest stars for years and won a string of awards and fans across the region with her flamboyant on-stage persona. "This is really very sad. I am going out to get her latest concert DVD so that I'll always be able to see her past glory," said Evelyn Ip, a 36-year-old Singaporean on a visit to Hong Kong. "It's such a pity," said a middle-aged woman buying Mui CDs at a shop. "I feel as though we grew up together." Many record shops played her songs and quickly sold out of her CDs. "She's irreplaceable," said another fan, holding back tears. The singer, whose elder sister also died of cervical cancer, revealed in September that she too had the disease and was undergoing treatment. She vowed to fight the illness and said she believed she could recover. She managed to give several concerts last month, but sometimes appeared breathless on stage. Mui began her singing career as a little girl, giving shows at an amusement park. She shot to stardom as a teenager after winning a singing contest in 1982. She starred in more than 40 movies over 20 years, winning a string of acting accolades. Reuters
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