'Mum's wisdom and love equal to that of a mother and a father'

As well as her entertainment career, Lydia Shum Tin-ha will be remembered for being a good mother. 'My New Year's resolution is that my daughter can have the opportunity to sing some great songs and everyone loves my daughter. That would be the greatest comfort for me,' said Shum in a homemade video filmed with her only daughter, Joyce Cheng Yan-yee, in 2007.

Seeing her daughter grow up to be a successful performer was the greatest wish of Shum, who raised Cheng single-handedly following her divorce from Adam Cheng Siu-chow eight months after Cheng's birth in 1987.

Shum compensated for the broken marriage by ensuring Cheng never wanted for material things, which was said to have contributed to Cheng's weight problem during her teens.

Shum sent Cheng to Canada to attend the expensive Crofton House private girls' school and Queen's University, widely considered one of the nation's top universities.

Shum understood her daughter's passion to perform and got her opportunities through her connections, including spots on TVB. Her long-time friend, veteran musician Liu Jia-chang, was also Cheng's singing coach.

Shum travelled to Cheng's performance in Shanghai last year despite her dire state of health. 'I'm still in shock from the surprise mum planned for me,' Cheng wrote on her blog. 'Fifty per cent of me was so upset that she was there because in her fragile state of health, she shouldn't be putting her immune system in danger ... but the other 50 per cent was so overjoyed.'