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Update | Tributes as legendary movie mogul and philanthropist Run Run Shaw dies

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The late media tycoon Sir Run Run Shaw, pictured recently and in his younger days (inset), led a life of 'extraordinary dedication'. Photos: Reuters and SCMP Pictures

Entertainment tycoon and philanthropist Sir Run Run Shaw passed away peacefully at home in the company of his family on Tuesday morning, his flagship broadcast firm said. 

A TVB statement said he died at 6.55am.

As news of his death spread, there was much confusion as to his real age. The studio he founded and his family gave Shaw's age as 107, but his age according to the Western counting method may have been 106 because Chinese traditionally consider a child to be a year old at birth. TVB said he was born in 1907, but would not provide his birth date. Different Shaw-related websites say he was born in 1906 or 1907

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This evening, Hong Kong police said that according to their data, Shaw was 107.  

Shaw was instrumental in shaping Hong Kong media culture, co-founding the Shaw Brothers Studio, which produced more than 1,000 films since its establishment in 1958, and Television Broadcasts (TVB), Hong Kong’s first free television, in 1967.

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“With his vision and energy, he had built the company to become Hong Kong’s premier television and a world leader in the Chinese-language television industry,” TVB said on Tuesday.

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