SINGAPORE - Actor-host Damond Koh, who was the mentor of Aloysius Pang, has opened up about how the death of the young actor devastated him.

The boss of Noontalk Media choked up on the latest episode of Hear U Out, a talk show hosted by Quan Yifeng, when he spoke about Pang, who died on Jan 24, 2019, after a serious injury during a live-firing exercise in New Zealand.

Pang's body was flown back to Singapore the next day. Despite his grief, Koh put on a strong front and handled media interviews on behalf of the family.

However, Quan revealed she received a phone call that night, informing her that he had completely broken down and was crying very loudly.

When she managed to get him on the phone, he could only say: "I never thought I would be bringing him back this way."

Looking back now, Koh, 49, said: "I don't know how long I cried until I washed my face and walked out of the toilet. I saw a few people from the army standing outside waiting for me, who then drove me back to the hotel."

The next day, he even stoically went on to host a mall show and his regular weekly variety programme, The Sheng Siong Show, which earned him praise for his professionalism.

Koh recalled fondly that Pang, who would have turned 31 last Tuesday (Aug 24), was always very caring and encouraging.

He used to say to Koh: "Don't worry, I will always be there for you as your general."

Koh couldn't help sighing and lamented to his late friend: "You said all these words to me. But where are you now?"