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Born in 1963, Mui’s dad died when she was very young and her mother, who managed a troupe of street performers, put her and her sister to work. She started singing on stage when she was only four years old.

Mui and her sister Ann performed as a duo at many lounges, clubs and Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park – anywhere that would pay them to go onstage. Mui often missed school because of her busy schedule. Child performers were viewed as street kids in those days, so Mui was ostracised at school.

She once said in a radio interview: “Singers weren’t respected when I was young and I was labelled a ‘song girl’ at school. Parents wouldn’t let their kids play with me and I would watch the other kids play. I was always by myself.”

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Because of the parlous financial situation at home and her busy schedule, Mui quit school when she was 13 years old.

Her luck changed when she was 18 years old. TVB and Capital Artists launched TVB’s New New Talent Singing Awards – and the young Mui won the contest by a landslide with her rare contralto voice shining in a rendition of Paula Tsui’s The Season of the Wind.

Her career took off once people in Hong Kong got to know her voice as the Cantonese introduction to popular television anime Dr Slump. Mui’s 1984 hit “The Years Flow Like Water” topped the charts, won many accolades and established Mui’s reputation as a bold singer and entertainer with a powerful stage presence.

Mui quickly grew in statute, releasing iconic albums such as “Temptress” in 1986 and “Flaming Red Lips” in 1987.

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By the age of 21, she had become the youngest artist to perform solo at the Hong Kong Coliseum. In 1987 Mui performed 28 concerts at the venue on consecutive days, earning her the moniker the “Ever Changing Anita Mui” for the costume changes and different images in her growing repertoire. Her popularity spread throughout Asia and she opened the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul in a dance collaboration with Janet Jackson.

Mui’s success wasn’t limited to music. In 1987 she won the Golden Horse’s Best Actress award for her portrayal of Fleur in Rouge. Despite all these achievements, the tabloids were not kind to her.

Mui was a trailblazer for Hong Kong artists as well as female singers, but with that spotlight came unrelenting scrutiny. Rumours never ceased to plague Mui, who was accused of being addicted to drugs, having tattoos on her arms, going for plastic surgery, being suicidal, and being linked to the death of a triad leader in the 1980s and 1990s. Rumours of affairs with leading actors also circulated.

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Her love life was analysed by the press and the public alike. She once said, “All men are unfaithful, I’d rather be with a handsome cheater than an ugly one”. High profile romances with model Michael Lau, actor Benjamin Lam and action star Vincent Zhao were splashed across the tabloids. None of the relationships lasted very long.

Mui was lauded for her generosity throughout her life, and in 1990 after winning five of the top 10 music awards, she announced she would not be accepting any more awards to make room for newcomers. Four years later, she came out of retirement, and mentored future Canto-pop stars such as Andy Hui, Grasshopper and Denise Ho.

Tragedy struck in 2000 when Mui’s sister Ann lost her battle with cervical cancer. Mui’s best friend Leslie Cheung committed suicide on April 1, 2003, after a long battle with depression.

Five months after Cheung’s death Mui announced that she had cervical cancer. She vowed to fight her illness, but rather than stepping back from the limelight she scheduled eight concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum in November, which were to be her final performances.

For her last concert, Mui wore a wedding dress designed by long-time collaborator Eddie Lau. She told the audience a heart-wrenching story about the opportunities she had missed to be a bride, advising fans to seize the opportunity to get married and start a family.

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“It’s every woman’s dream to get married and start a family,” she said. “I thought I would’ve been married before 30 and have a baby by 32, but I have nothing. What do I have? You guys.”

It was reported that Mui bought the necklace she was wearing for her own dowry and that singing her last song in that dress was to symbolise that she was married to the stage and gave her life to her performances. Her manager later revealed that Mui performed her final concerts while battling a high fever as a result of illness.

Mui eventually succumbed to cervical cancer and died of respiratory complications leading to lung failure at Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital on December 30, 2003.

The music legend was philanthropic to the very end. She set up college funds for her nieces and nephews, a stipend for her ageing mother and the rest was locked up in a trust where funds periodically went to charity.

Having left her brother and only surviving sibling out of the will, Mui’s mother filed a string of lawsuits in a bid to gain control of the trust, alleging that her daughter was not of sound mind when she made her will.

Court documents revealed that Mui was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2001. At the time it was treatable, but the musician took on a huge work schedule during treatment and stopped altogether to prepare for her farewell concerts.

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Mui’s estate is now in financial trouble after having to defend itself against lawsuits.

If you, or someone you know, are having suicidal thoughts, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.

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