This is the 73rd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades.
In the golden age of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing was a star so bright that he rewrote the rules of conservative Asian society. Affectionately nicknamed Gor Gor – Cantonese for “older brother” – the Cantopop legend’s talent spanned disciplines and extended far beyond the city’s borders.
Even now, decades after his death in 2003, fans from around the world gather every year on April 1 to commemorate him. But despite the glamour of his superstardom, Cheung’s sensitive soul was plagued by internal hardship.
