Local comedian Abigail Chay hosts afterlife farewell ceremony
Many people approach death as a “taboo” subject as it might bring bad luck or misfortune.
67-year-old comedian Abigail Chay, however, hoped to bring a different view to the topic through her recent afterlife farewell ceremony.
Sponsored by Nirvana Memorial Garden, the ceremony took place on 10 July at Centre 42 Black Box Theatre as part of a stand-up show.
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
Chay listens to touching eulogies by loved ones
Born Caesar Chay Tuck Kwong in 1959, Ms Chay was born male before undergoing sex reassignment surgery at age 22.
Singaporeans may remember her for her role as Aunty Abigail in the Channel 5 sitcom Under One Roof, making her the first transgender woman to appear on national television.
Source: The Singapore LGBT encyclopaedia Wiki
Her farewell ceremony on 10 July saw moving eulogies by Ms Chay’s entertainment friends.
During the ceremony itself, Ms Chay sat at the back of the room and watched the ceremony unfold.
Filmmakers Garrick Wong and Kelvin Sng, paranormal content creator and talk host Ah Hao and celebrity Joey Swee shared their heartfelt memories, reflections and words of appreciation, expressing their admiration and love for Ms Chay.
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
Hearing their heartwarming messages, Ms Chay shared her deep gratitude for being able to witness their love and support in person.
“It is a privilege to witness my own farewell ceremony,” Ms Chay said. “I am truly grateful and touched to see everyone here, sharing their love, memories and support with me.”
She told MS News:
I never knew I was so treasured.
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
Comedian was involved in the entire process
Every detail at the ceremony was thoughtfully curated to reflect Ms Chay’s personal wishes.
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
Fresh flowers decorated the hallways and altars, donning a white colour palette that Ms Chay personally chose herself.
She also told MS News that she chose “white” as her main colour as she “wants to leave this earthly world feeling pure”.
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
Ms Chay had invited her friends and local celebrities to the gathering.
However, she decided against inviting family out of consideration for her older family members, who Ms Chay joked may mistake the segment for a real funeral.
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
An immersive, emotional and multi-sensory segment of the stage show
The ceremony was actually an impromptu segment in a stand-up show called ‘The Final Stop’.
Presented by Dennis Toh and Ah Hao, the immersive supernatural-themed stand up show brings audiences on a multi-sensory journey that straddles the line between reality and the unknown, sharing stories of real-life, folklore, and eerie personal encounters.
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
The idea for a farewell ceremony came about during a rehearsal session when fellow castmate Zhuo Yi brought up the idea of wanting to do a farewell gathering.
Ms Chay herself loved the sentiment and volunteered for it since she was one of the older members.
With only a week to set up the whole ceremony, Ms Chay and her team reached out to Nirvana Memorial Garden, who promptly arranged and organised the event.
Everything in the ceremony reflects a real-life funeral procession, including emcees, an altar, floral arrangements and staff.
Ms Chay and Ah Hao expressed their thanks to Nirvana Memorial Garden for fully sponsoring the setup and also organising the ceremony quickly.
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
Embracing the fear of dying, celebrating death in living
Beyond being a personal and emotional occasion, Ms Chay’s ceremony highlights the importance of making prior arrangements for one’s afterlife matters.
In an exclusive with MS News, Ms Chay’s friend and producer Ah Hao expands on the significance of the show:
The main purpose is to let people know not to be afraid or fear death, and treasure our loved ones in life.
“Especially with the current Asian mindset, we celebrate the living. But nobody celebrates death,” he said to MS News. “We already achieve so much in living, so shouldn’t we tap our shoulders and celebrate our achievements?”
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
“There is nothing taboo about afterlife planning,” Ms Chay shared in her speech. “Only when you can deal with death, will you know how to properly live your life.”
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
The event is also a meaningful reminder that conversations about death, legacy, and personal wishes can be approached with dignity, love, and clarity.
Moreover, Ms Chay hopes this event inspires others to plan ahead, communicate their wishes with their loved ones and embrace life more fully.
Abigail Chay’s Afterlife Farewell Ceremony marks a significant moment in Singapore’s evolving conversation around end-of-life and afterlife planning — celebrating not only how we say goodbye, but also how we choose to live.
Image courtesy of Ah Hao
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Featured image courtesy of Ah Hao.
