Relatives take centre stage at low-key farewell for master lyricist
James Wong Jim, master of Canto-pop lyrics, creative ad man and intelligent show host who brought Hong Kong people unforgettable songs and laughter, kept the surprises coming until the end with an extremely low-key funeral.
Wong staged his last show yesterday afternoon at Cape Collinson. Unlike the funerals of superstars like Roman Tam Pak-sin, Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing and Anita Mui Yim-fong, Wong's event was no star-studded occasion echoing with fans' mourning cries.
Only close family members attended the funeral. Wong's coffin, covered in a red cloth with gold embroidery, was carried to Cape Collinson at 1.25pm.
Ten minutes later, his family members dressed in black, including his wife Winnie Chan Wai-man, sons Wong Yu-hong and Wong Yu-man, daughter Ursula Wong Yu-sze, and ex-wife, former singer Wah Wa, mother of the three children, arrived one by one. But writer Eunice Lam Yin-nei, who Wong once said he loved the most, did not attend the funeral.
Wong's close celebrity friends were not spotted either.