Tributes pour in for Hong Kong’s ‘Mambo Queen’ Ge Lan after death at 93
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Late singer-actress Grace Chang, better known as Ge Lan, was known for her singing and dancing, and starred in more than 30 films before retiring after The Story Of Three Loves (1964).
PHOTOS: LIN CHING-HSIA/WEIBO, LEE’S STUDIO HONGKONG
- Grace Chang, known as Ge Lan and the "Mambo queen", died at 93, sparking tributes across Asia's entertainment industry.
- Chang was a celebrated Hong Kong actress and singer famous for films like Mambo Girl and The Wild, Wild Rose, influencing a mambo dance craze.
- After retiring, she focused on Peking opera; her classic songs featured in Crazy Rich Asians, highlighting her lasting cultural impact.
AI generated
Tributes poured in on social media and across Asia’s entertainment industry after news of late Hong Kong screen icon Grace Chang’s death was announced on Aug 3.
Chang, who performed under the stage name Ge Lan and was known for her roles in film classics Mambo Girl (1957) and The Wild, Wild Rose (1960), died at age 93.
Retired Taiwanese actress Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia, 71, took to Chinese social media platform Weibo late on Aug 4, to share one of her last moments with her.
“Sister Ge Lan loved singing Peking opera, but she had not performed for quite some time. When I went to visit her at her home, she was sitting in her wheelchair, half-asleep.”
Lin said she performed two Peking opera songs for Chang during her visit.
She also sang Unspoken Joy, also known as Ja Jambo – a track from The Wild, Wild Rose – and danced along with Chang’s housekeepers.
“As the two workers and I sang and danced the cha-cha and mambo right in front of her, her eyes immediately opened wide and sparkled, and a contented smile spread across her face,” Lin wrote.
“That is my last memory of her.”
In a social media post on Aug 4, Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong, 64, said: “I have three idols, and Ge Lan is one of them. Upon hearing the news of her passing, I felt a moment of emptiness in my heart.
“Rest in peace, the eternal Mambo Girl.”
Hong Kong writer Dunn Shio Yu announced Chang’s death on Facebook on Aug 3.
“Ge Lan passed away peacefully this afternoon,” he wrote in a now-deleted post.
Born in Nanjing, China, in 1933, Chang spent her early years in Shanghai. In 1949, she moved to Hong Kong, where she rose to fame starring in the hit musical Mambo Girl, which sparked a mambo dance craze across Hong Kong, Taiwan and South-east Asia.
Known for her singing and dancing, Chang became one of Cathay Organisation’s most celebrated leading ladies and starred in more than 30 films, including Chinese-language hits Spring Song (1959), June Bride (1960) and Sun, Moon And Star (1961).
A prominent icon of Mandarin musical cinema, Chang – born Chang Yu-fang – was among the first Chinese actresses to break into the international scene, making a cameo in the American film Soldier Of Fortune (1955).
Grace Chang was known for her role in the film The Wild, Wild Rose (1960).
PHOTO: CATHAY ORGANISATION
Chang announced her retirement from the film industry after starring in the two-part film The Story Of Three Loves (1964).
She married tycoon Gao Fuquan in London in 1961 and gave birth to their son in 1966. Gao died at 88 more than 20 years ago.
Chang made few public appearances after leaving the entertainment industry, devoting herself to Peking opera, a form of Chinese opera that incorporates singing, reciting, acting and martial arts.
Her classic songs I Want Your Love (1957) and I Want To Fly To The Blue Sky from her film Air Hostess (1959) were featured in Hollywood blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians (2018).