Friends, fans and officials join Vancouver memorial service

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.