Taiwanese pop icon Liu Wen Zheng (劉文正), who captivated the Mandarin-speaking world in the 1970s and 1980s, died in the US of a heart attack in November last year, his agent Hsia Yu-shun (夏玉順) confirmed to local Chinese-language media yesterday.
“A star has fallen and its legend will live on forever,” Hsia was quoted as saying.
Some local reports said that Liu died on the eve of his birthday, making him 69 at the time of his death.
Photo: CNA
Liu, who was born in Taipei on Nov. 12, 1952, rose to fame in 1975 with the release of his first album The Promise (諾言) and a starring role in the romantic film The Story of Four Girls (門裡門外), released nationally and in Hong Kong.
That same year, Liu took over the variety show Jin Xiu Nian Hua (錦繡年華) on Taiwan Television, launching a career as a leading entertainer in the age of state-run cable channels.
After that, Liu became the host of Liu Wen Zheng Shi Jian (劉文正時間), named after and tailored for him on China Television, which at its height reached a rating share of 82 percent, the highest for a Taiwanese show at that time.
Photo: CAN
In 1981, he performed and produced Fei Ying (飛鷹), which was the first Chinese-language music video and a commercial success.
Throughout his career, Liu acted in more than 20 romance films, and won Golden Bell awards for best leading actor in a singing role in 1980, 1982 and 1983. He also received awards for best Mandarin performance in Singapore and Malaysia.
Liu ended his contract with Hong Kong’s PolyGram Records and moved to the US in 1984, marking his retirement from singing.
He returned to Taiwan two years later and established Fei Ying Records, which represented some of the biggest talents in the nation’s music industry including Fang Wen-lin (方文琳), Annie Yi (伊能靜) and Donna Chiu (裘海正).
In 1991, Liu closed the label and returned to the US, refusing interviews, public appearances and a rumored movie deal worth close to NT$100 million (US$3.3 million).
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
RSS