ProfileHow Leslie Cheung broke all the rules to become Hong Kong’s greatest modern superstar
The music and cinema legend’s artistry, vulnerability and defiance in a conservative Asian society forever reshaped Hong Kong pop culture
In the golden age of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing was a star so bright that he rewrote the rules of conservative Asian society. Affectionately nicknamed Gor Gor – Cantonese for “older brother” – the Cantopop legend’s talent spanned disciplines and extended far beyond the city’s borders.
Even now, decades after his death in 2003, fans from around the world gather every year on April 1 to commemorate him. But despite the glamour of his superstardom, Cheung’s sensitive soul was plagued by internal hardship.
Born in 1956 into a relatively affluent family as the youngest of 10 children, Cheung grew up feeling lonely and unloved.
His father – a tailor to Hollywood stars like Cary Grant and Marlon Brando – was rarely home. His mother was similarly absent, preoccupied with the family atelier. As a result, Cheung – raised largely by his grandmother and a hired nanny – felt estranged from his parents early on.
He was sent to a boarding school in England as a teenager and studied textiles at the University of Leeds, where he discovered a passion for fine arts and design.
However, his UK education was cut short during his second year when his father suffered a stroke – induced by “constant drinking”, Cheung later said – and summoned him back to Hong Kong. Upon his homecoming, Cheung returned to school, where he discovered a love for singing.