More than 100 friends and fans of Lydia Sum Tin-ha (also known as Lydia Shum) attended a public memorial for the late Hong Kong entertainer in Vancouver on Friday, days after her private burial on the outskirts of the Canadian city. Actor Chang Yi, a long-time friend, wept as he told the crowd of his last chat with Sum on February 1, more than two weeks before her death. Chang said he had called Sum because he wanted to visit her while he was in Hong Kong ahead of the Lunar New Year. 'She said, 'You don't need to come visit me. We'll see each other in Vancouver',' he recalled, adding that he never imagined it would be the last time they would speak. Chang said he has been a close friend for nearly 40 years and was devastated by her death. 'Ah Fei,' he cried out - referring to Sum's nickname - 'we really miss you.' Former actress Irene Chan and opera singer Long Kim-sung sat among the mourners at the hour-long memorial, which was held at the office of Success, an immigration and social services agency that Sum supported. In a speech, Ms Chan said: 'You are in a better place now. I think that some day we will all meet together.' Several Canadian government officials - including Vancouver's mayor Sam Sullivan and representatives of Prime Minister Stephen Harper - also paid their respects, praising Sum for her contributions to Vancouver's Chinese community. They noted that Sum regularly lent her fame to help raise funds for good causes. Sum, who lived in both Hong Kong and Vancouver, died of liver cancer on February 19 at Queen Mary Hospital. She was 62. Her remains were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Burnaby, near Vancouver. Lawrence Woo, chairman of Success, said besides her charitable acts, Sum gave hope and laughter to generations of Chinese immigrants through her television performances. 'Laughter is the best medicine that one can get, and if that is really true, then I think Lydia ought to be the best doctor in town because she more or less prescribed laughter every day,' he said. 'When a newcomer comes to a new society, they probably don't have any friends or anyone to look after them. But with familiar faces and familiar laughter, it could help lift their spirits.' Ling Xingqun, 53, said she was one such immigrant. Ms Ling said she had been following Sum's performances since the late 1970s, when she lived in Guangzhou. After she emigrated to Canada, Sum's shows were among those she followed because she did not understand English. 'Even though I'm not a friend of hers, she left a deep impression on me,' she said.
