Cheng Pei-pei, Chinese martial arts star with decades-long career, dies at 78

Cheng Pei-pei, a renowned Chinese martial arts actress whose career spanned six decades, has died at the age of 78.

Condolence messages began pouring in after Cheng’s family said on Friday the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Mulan star died on Wednesday following a battle with a neurodegenerative condition similar to Parkinson’s disease.

“Our mother, Cheng Pei-pei, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on July 17,” the statement said.

They did not reveal where Cheng died, but a media report said she was in San Francisco.

According to the family, the actress was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration in 2019. Her brain would be donated to the US-based non-profit organisation Brain Support Network to assist research on her condition and other rare neurological diseases.

“It is a rare disease with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, however, current treatments cannot slow the progression,” the family said.