Entrepreneur who brought Hollywood glamour to Sydney dies

Sydney's Chinese community is mourning the death of Denis Wong, an iconic nightclub impresario who turned his Chequers club into a world-renowned Rat Pack-era venue, and who once turned down The Beatles by asking if he could get a discount for having just two of them perform.

In its heyday, Chequers was listed as one of the world's top 10 clubs, attracting the likes of Sammy Davis Jnr, Shirley Bassey and Liza Minelli.

His son Jackson recounted how his father turned down the chance to get the four Beatles to perform in Australia. 'They were asking an exorbitant price so my father listened to the tape, liked it, and asked if he could have just two of them. He was a character,' he said.

Mr Wong's funeral was held yesterday, after he died on February 4. His official age was 79, though Jackson said he was really 82, having lowered his age upon migrating to Australia from Guangdong in the 1940s.

More than 300 mourners attended his funeral, where he was praised for his loyalty to friends, his devotion to family and his patriotism for both China and Australia.

He was active in promoting trade between the two countries, and longtime friend Derek Marrable spoke at the funeral of his early success in encouraging the export of Australian coal to China.

But the Chequers Nightclub was his crowning achievement.