Obituary: TVB Symbol Mona Fong Passes Away
Mona Fong (方逸華), the showbiz executive and widow of Hong Kong movie mogul Sir Run Run Shaw (邵逸夫), passed away peacefully on Tuesday afternoon, November 22, 2017. She was 83 years old. In a statement released by TVB, Mona Fong was surrounded by her family at the time of her death.
Mona’s funeral service was held at the Hong Kong Funeral Home on Thursday, November 30. The service followed Buddhist rituals, and she was cremated at the Cape Collinson Crematorium in Chai Wan.
The funeral service started at around 9 in the morning; TVB chairman Charles Chan (陳國強), chief executive Mark Lee (李寶安), assistant general manager Virginia Lok (樂易玲), and more were in attendance. Former TVB artists like JoJo (曹眾), Shallin Tse (謝寧), Hung Cho-sing (洪祖星), and Liu Chia-chang (劉家昌), also attended the memorial service, saying goodbye to their old friend one last time. The atmosphere was heavy.
After the service, over 10 security guards held hands to escort the hearse out of the driveway. The hearse was decorated simply with white flowers. Three heart-shaped flower stands stood at the entrance of the crematorium; the pink flower stand in the middle was a gift from Mona’s younger sisters, Meage and Jenny.
Meage carried Mona’s portrait as they entered the crematorium. The sisters were in tears after the cremation ritual. In a press interview Virginia Lok conducted on behalf of the sisters, she said, “[Mona] was very beautiful, like she was in a peaceful sleep. All of her closest family members, colleagues, and friends came today to say goodbye to her one last time.”
Asking if Mona had any last wishes, Virgnia Lok said, “She wanted everyone to be happy and healthy. She always spoke about how important it is to be happy and work hard. When we get to this age, our days shrink faster than money. She would always tell us to eat well, to take care of our health, to cherish our family, and to put our heart into our work, but don’t overstress yourself.”
Virgnia Lok also shared that Mona still had work on her mind before she passed. Mona had spoken about wanting to attend TVB’s 50th Anniversary Gala, which was held on November 19. Asking if Mona was already hospitalized at the time of the anniversary, the TVB executive said, “She was in and out. She wasn’t eating well, so she needed to get injections. (What was she sick from?) There was no particular issue, she was just very weak. (Was it Sepsis?) No, no. She wasn’t sick. Because she was always working, she didn’t eat properly. When we work, we would eat very simple meals, like sandwiches. She really took care of us—she would always take us to good restaurants, even if she didn’t eat herself. She would always tell us to eat, because she wanted us to eat happily.”
Virgnia Lok added in the end, “Today, as I watched her coffin disappear before my eyes, I could finally feel how it is to say goodbye.”
Before her marriage to Sir Run Run Shaw, Mona Fong achieved fame as a recording artist in Singapore and Hong Kong during the 1950’s. She started her film production career after signing with Shaw Brothers in 1969, and became a board member in 1981. She was promoted to managing director in 1996, and later as vice chairman in 2001. Mona Fong and Sir Run Run Shaw married in 1996.
In 2000, Mona Fong took over TVB operations, and became the broadcaster’s vice chairman in 2009, and later as chief executive in 2010.
Source: Mingpao.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
