Hong Kong actress Kathy Chow Hoi-mei, known for her leading lady roles in TVB dramas, has died at the age of 57.
Her studio made the saddening announcement via Weibo that Ms Chow had passed on from an undisclosed illness.
Source: Kathy Chow’s Studio on Weibo
Just days before, the star had posted a video on Douyin thanking fans for their support and companionship throughout the years.
She had celebrated turning 57 just a week ago on 6 Dec.
In a Weibo post yesterday (12 Dec), Ms Chow’s studio said that she had passed away on Monday (11 Dec).
“May heaven be free of illness, and let’s meet again in the next life!” the statement read.
It also contained a parting message from Ms Chow’s mother and family: “Beloved Hoi-mei, we hope you’ll continue to be happy in another dimension. Your family is proud of you.”
Rumours of Ms Chow’s death had begun circulating a day before it was officially announced, Sin Chew Daily reported.
However, just hours before the Weibo post, friends and family put the speculation to rest by saying she had simply been hospitalised after falling unconscious.
Hong Kong director and fellow actor Frankie Chan Fan-kei was one of them. He stated, “Based on the standard of treatment by Beijing’s medical specialists, there is hope of full recovery for (Ms Chow).”
Sadly, it was not to be.
A source has since come forward to shed more light on the circumstances leading up to her demise.
According to Sin Chew Daily, the source uncovered Ms Chow’s medical records and found that she had gone into cardiac arrest an hour before arriving at the hospital.
At the time of her hospitalisation, livor mortis had allegedly already set in as well.
ScienceDirect defines livor mortis as the pooling of the blood in the body due to gravity and the lack of blood circulation as a result of the cessation of cardiac activity.
The records also showed that Ms Chow had been found unconscious by colleagues who rushed her to the hospital immediately on Monday (11 Dec) morning.
They also informed doctors that Ms Chow had been coughing and having difficulty breathing in the past week.
To remedy this, she had allegedly been self-administering oxygen at home. Even so, breathing became severely difficult for her the night before she was found unconscious.
Prior to her death, Ms Chow had rubbished rumours that she suffered from lupus, an autoimmune disease.
Nonetheless, the records indicated that she indeed had a history of lupus, as well as hypertension.
In conclusion, doctors declared that her passing was due to cardiac arrest, loss of consciousness, and respiratory arrest.
The prolific actress made her acting debut in 1985 in the historical fantasy action series ‘The Yang’s Saga’ by TVB.
From there, her star rose quickly with a slew of leading lady roles in numerous dramas for the Hong Kong broadcasting company.
She was best known for her role as Zhou Zhiruo in the martial arts series ‘Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre’, which was based on the novel of the same name.
Source: WHB.cn
Although her fame peaked in the 80’s and 90’s, Ms Chow had continued to stay active in the entertainment scene with prominent roles in mainland China productions.
MS News extends our condolences to Ms Chow’s family and loved ones. May her rich legacy live on forever.
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Featured image adapted from Zhou Hoi-mei’s Studio on Weibo and WHB.cn.
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