Hong Kong cinema has lost an iconic action film director with the death of Benny Chan Muk-sing, who passed away at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital on Sunday (August 23). Chan had started to feel unwell last year when he was shooting the action movie Raging Fire (怒火), starring Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse. He was then diagnosed with late-stage nasopharyngeal cancer. View this post on Instagram Official #Poster for #BennyChan's #RagingFire featuring #NicholasTse • • • #donnieyen #bulletfilms #superbulletfilms #hkcinema #action #thriller #martialarts #kungfu #wushu #stunts #mma #shootemup #gunfu #actionfilm #actionmovie A post shared by M.A.A.C. (@maactioncinema) on Oct 23, 2019 at 6:20am PDT After months of treatment at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin, the 58-year-old was transferred to the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital a few days before his death. The five-time best director nominee at the Hong Kong Film Awards was no stranger to movie buffs. Besides the popular action thrillers of recent years – such as The White Storm (掃毒), Shaolin (新少林寺), Connected (保持通話) and Divergence (三岔口) – action romance film A Moment of Romance (天若有情), released in 1990, stamped Chan’s own mark on the Hong Kong film industry. 10 of Andy Lau’s best films In the movie, Wah Dee, a young triad gangster portrayed by Andy Lau, became one of Lau’s iconic roles. The film is considered a modern classic of Hong Kong cinema. Alongside Andy Lau, Chan’s directorial efforts also nurtured various award-winning actors including Aaron Kwok, Sean Lau, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung, Nicholas Tse and Daniel Wu. Following the untimely death of the director, many celebrities have expressed their sorrow and paid their respects to Chan through social media. Aaron Kwok As the leading actor in the action-crime movie Divergence , directed by Chan in 2005, Kwok won the best actor award at the 42nd Golden Horse Awards. “I feel very sorry about that, my respectable director Chan, may you rest in peace,” Kwok wrote on Instagram. View this post on Instagram 非常難過。敬重的陳木勝導演。一路走好。 A post shared by Aaron (@aaronkwokxx) on Aug 23, 2020 at 4:57am PDT Donnie Yen Before joining the film industry, Chan also worked for various local television companies in the 1980s and 90s. Yen and Chan knew each other from working at Asia Television (ATV). They worked together for the TV series The Kung Fu Master in 1994 and Fist of Fury (精武門) in 1995. More recently, the duo joined together for the movie Raging Fire (怒火), which is yet to have a release date. 7 reasons why Donnie Yen is a worthy heir to Bruce Lee “Twenty five years later, he’s still the same positive, strong, happy, inspiring director and friend. I will miss your smile, our creative exchanges and fatherhood stories. You will be greatly missed my friend,” Yen wrote on Instagram. View this post on Instagram Benny and I first worked on the TV series Kung Fu Master and Fist Of Fury, back in 1995-1997. Benny was the producer and director. I was fortunate to work with him again on our latest film：Raging Fire. 25 years later, he’s still the same positive, strong, happy, inspiring director and friend. I will miss your smile, our creative exchanges and fatherhood stories. You will be greatly missed my friend. RIP #gonetoosoon #bennychan #陈木胜导演 A post shared by Donnie Yen 甄子丹 (@donnieyenofficial) on Aug 23, 2020 at 8:16am PDT Nicholas Tse Tse and Chan worked together on five films, such as Gen-X Cops in 1999, New Police Story in 2004, Invisible Target in 2007, Shaolin in 2011 and the unreleased Raging Fire . New Police Story earned Tse the best supporting actor award at the 28th Hundred Flowers Awards. “Director Chan has left us. From Gen-X Cops and New Police Story, to Invisible Target and Shaolin as well as Raging Fire, Chan was my mentor both on and off the silver screen, influencing my life. I will miss you forever,” Tse wrote on Instagram. View this post on Instagram 陳木勝導演離開了我們，從《特警新人類》《新警察故事》《新少林寺》《男兒本色》...到《怒火》，他是我的恩師，不管是演戲還是做人，都深深影響著我。 永遠懷念你 Benny 導演 A post shared by 鋒味 Chef Nic (@chefnicookies) on Aug 23, 2020 at 2:45am PDT Daniel Wu Wu was another actor that Chan frequently worked with. He was nominated for best supporting actor award at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards for his role as the villain Joe Kwan in New Police Story . “Today I was truly saddened to find out that legendary Hong Kong director Benny Chan had passed. Gen-X Cops , Divergence , New Police Story , I did some of my best work under his guidance. I will miss you dearly! You were the best in the game!” Wu wrote on his Instagram. View this post on Instagram Today I was truly saddened to find out that legendary Hong Kong director Benny Chan had passed. Gen-X Cops, Divergence, New Police Story, I did some of my best work under his guidance. I will miss you dearly! You were the best in the game! A post shared by Daniel Wu 吴 彦 祖 (@thatdanielwu) on Aug 23, 2020 at 9:31am PDT Fan Bingbing and Wujing Besides various Hong Kong filmmakers, mainland Chinese martial artist Wujing and well-known actress Fan Bingbing also expressed their sorrow and bid farewell to Chan on Weibo. Both of them had worked with Chan for the movie Shaolin in 2011. Meet Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Tsang Kwok-cheung, director of Better Days “Rest in peace director Chan, I will miss you forever,” wrote Fan Bingbing on Weibo. “The old days will be forever in my heart. Rest in peace director Chan!” wrote Wujing on Weibo. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .