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Why actor Aloysius Pang's death sparked outpouring of public grief

TV viewers' familiarity with him, recognition of NSmen's sacrifices among factors cited

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While the late actor Aloysius Pang rested at his two-day wake in MacPherson Lane, thousands turned up to pay their last respects, including strangers. On Sunday, hundreds of well-wishers lined the streets as Mr Pang was given a send-off to Mandai Crematorium, while many more had expressed sorrow of his death online.
Mr Pang's final Instagram post on his account, which appeared to have been written by one of his brothers, has so far attracted more than 254,000 "likes" and nearly 25,500 comments since it was posted last Wednesday - the day he died in Waikato Hospital in New Zealand, where he was on a military exercise.
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