Local businessman and husband of former actress Cherie Chung Chor-hung, Michael Chu Ka-ting, has died at the age of 53.
Chu died of cancer at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital a few days ago, hospital sources said.
Born in 1954 in Hong Kong, Chu was one of three sons of Shanghai-based filmmaker Chu Yuk-wah. He studied architecture in the US before returning to Hong Kong in 1977 to start a career in advertising.
Chu founded advertising firm Synergy in 1983, which was later acquired by Euro RSCG. He was known for his creativity and produced a number of award-winning TV commercials in the 1980s, including some for the watch chain store, City Chain, and HongkongBank, now HSBC. In previous interviews with the press, Chu said he loved creative work.
He maintained a low profile but had been in the media spotlight recently following rumours that he had cancer.
His wife, Cherie, 47, entered the showbiz industry as a contestant in TVB's Miss Hongkong pageant in 1979. She did not win a place, but that did not stop her rise to stardom. She was nominated for Hong Kong film awards for performances in The Story of Woo Viet (1981), Hong Kong, Hong Kong (1983) and An Autumn's Tale (1987).