Canto-pop singer Roman Tam Pak-sin died of liver cancer in Queen Mary Hospital last night. He was 52.
An executive of the Emperor Group - which signed him early in his career - said Tam died peacefully at 11.15pm with his sister and relatives at his bedside.
Tam was admitted to the hospital from his Happy Valley home on Monday night when his condition deteriorated; he had been in hospital four times since July.
In a 30-year career, Tam was one of the few Hong Kong singers to become cultural icons, his songs proving particularly popular for a generation who came of age in the 1970s and 1980s.
Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung even quoted from a Tam classic - Below the Lion Rock - when he made his first budget speech in March.
Early this morning, the Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr Patrick Ho Chi-ping, extended his condolences, saying: 'Most of us grew up with Roman Tam's many golden hits.'