The Public Television Service (PTS) yesterday began broadcasting three programs to commemorate the late Taiwanese singer-entertainer Frankie Gao (高凌風).
The programs feature a concert in Taipei by the singer, a PTS show in which Gao talked about his life and career, and a PTS recording of his music performances.
The concert was broadcast yesterday and will be broadcast again on Saturday; the interview will be broadcast on Sunday and the music performance today, tomorrow and on Saturday, PTS said.
Photo: CNA
Gao died of leukemia on Monday at the age of 63. He passed away at a hospital in New Taipei City (新北市)with his family at his bedside.
Dubbed the “Frog Prince” (青蛙王子), the singer was known for his flamboyant attire and energetic dance moves in the 1970s and 1980s. His hit songs included Burn, Phoenix, Burn (燃燒吧!火鳥) and Fire in the Winter (冬天裡的一把火).
Gao achieved local fame in the 1970s and became a household name in Taiwan after singing the theme song of the popular film Girlfriend (女朋友).
Gao turned to business in the 1980s at the height of his career, but the club that he opened was later forced to close down after a government crackdown on the sex industry.
He was also the target of a gangster shooting in the 1980s.
The controversial entertainer suffered a low period in his career that picked up again with his appearances on parody shows on TV from 2001, in which he impersonated well-known public figures.
In recent years, his appearances in the media were often related to quarrels with his ex-wife Chin Yu-chuang (金友莊), from whom he had a bitter divorce. Chin was Gao’s third wife.
Gao had been scheduled to hold a concert on March 8 to celebrate 40 years in the entertainment business.
Singer and former legislator Yu Tian (余天), a close friend of Gao, has expressed hope that a memorial concert will take place instead.
“How can someone so cocky be gone?” Yu said tearfully late on Monday night.
Taiwanese comedian Chu Ko Liang (豬哥亮) was also choked up, saying: “I respect him, he was brave... I am really sad,” after learning about the death of his long-time friend.
Chinese actress Zhao Wei (趙薇) and Taiwanese actress and TV hostess Lily Tien (田麗) were also among the celebrities who took to the Internet to mourn the death of the entertainer.
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
The Keelung District Prosecutors’ Office today requested that a court detain three individuals, including Keelung Department of Civil Affairs Director Chang Yuan-hsiang (張淵翔), in connection with an investigation into forged signatures used in recall campaigns. Chang is suspected of accessing a household registration system to assist with recall campaigns targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) city councilors Cheng Wen-ting (鄭文婷) and Jiho Chang (張之豪), prosecutors said. Prosecutors yesterday directed investigators to search six locations, including the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Keelung office and the residences of several recall campaign leaders. The recall campaign leaders, including Chi Wen-chuan (紀文荃), Yu Cheng-i (游正義) and Hsu Shao-yeh
COVID-19 infections have climbed for three consecutive weeks and are likely to reach another peak between next month and June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Weekly hospital visits for the disease increased by 19 percent from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. From Tuesday last week to yesterday, 21 cases of severe COVID-19 and seven deaths were confirmed, and from Sept. 1 last year to yesterday, there were 600 cases and 129 deaths, he said. From Oct. 1 last year to yesterday, 95.9 percent of the severe cases and 96.7 percent of the deaths
RSS