Taiwan holds service for pop legend Teresa Teng 30 years after death

TAIPEI - A remembrance service marking 30 years since the death of beloved Taiwanese pop legend Teresa Teng was held in Taiwan on May 8, drawing fans from across Asia to pay their respects.

Fans sang and held up cherished albums and favourite photos of Teng as her hit songs, including The Moon Represents My Heart (1977), echoed through the air at Chin Pao San cemetery in New Taipei, where the late singer’s tomb is located.

Teng, whose crystalline voice propelled her to fame as one of the most prominent recording stars in the Chinese-speaking world and Japan, died of a respiratory attack in Thailand on May 8, 1995, at age 42.

Mr Minoru Funaki, a key figure in Teng’s entry into the Japanese pop music scene, also paid tribute at the event, noting that she covered popular Japanese songs in Chinese and helped make them hits in China.

“People say music has no borders, and Teresa truly created a world that proved that. Her achievements will never fade,” he said.

Born in Taiwan as the daughter of a career military officer, Teng’s songs were once banned in mainland China, where authorities deemed them “decadent”. Today, no such restrictions remain.

According to Mr Teng Chang-fu, the singer’s older brother and head of the Teresa Teng Foundation, commemorative concerts have been held or are planned at over 10 locations, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand in 2025.

Many fans in mainland China could not attend the memorial service in Taiwan, Mr Teng said, citing current tensions in cross-strait relations.

“I sincerely hope both sides of the strait will recognise the people’s desire for closer ties and mutual visits,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Japan, an unreleased song by Teresa Teng has been discovered and will be released in June. The light pop song, likely recorded in the mid-1980s, was found on a tape stored in a warehouse in Tokyo several years ago. KYODO NEWS