The 45-year-old bachelor, whose real name is Billy Wang, said he is afraid that his mother, who is living in Taiwan and recently underwent spinal surgery, would not be able to take the bad news.
It does not help that there has been a spate of bad news at home, where Wang is the youngest of five sons. His third brother is facing end-stage colon cancer and his eldest brother fell to his death two years ago.
Facing the media with a shaved head yesterday, the Taiwan-born Wang said the doctor's diagnosis is grim.
His leukaemia, first diagnosed 15 years ago, is back and in its third stage. He is going through chemotherapy now, which explains his hair loss.
'The diagnosis may scare me to death, but it can't determine my death,' said Wang.
'Fifteen years ago, I also had third-stage leukaemia but I fought back. So I am praying that God will give me another 15 years and I will not give up the fight.'
Wang, who has a huge fan base, said he has started preparing for his death.
For example, he has taken his picture for his obituary, prepared a video to be played during his wake, and almost completed mortgage payments on several homes so that his family will not be financially burdened after his death.
When asked what he feared most about death, he said in Mandarin: 'I feel I should not have any regrets. We can decide to die well, to die with dignity.'
And to die with dignity also means not giving up the will to live. The former MediaCorp Radio DJ still leads exercise classes for his fans in Bishan Park.
Wang said the Chinese generally avoid discussing death and anything related to dying, but shunning the topic may not be the wisest thing to do.
For example, he said, his eldest brother's family is still reeling emotionally and financially from his sudden death two years ago.
THERESA TAN