'Time doesn't wait' - last words from late Khalil Fong to urge persistence in dream pursuance

Hong Kong-based singer-songwriter Khalil Fong, who passed away at the age of 41, left his final words to encourage others to persist in pursuing their dreams, and reportedly has been cremated following a memorial service on Saturday.

The printed message, in both Chinese and English, was seen on a card given to attendees at the private ceremony on Saturday, the same day when Fong’s music label announced his death, according to mainland media reports.

Fong wrote: “Time waits for no one. As we age, we come to understand more deeply the duality of time – its reality and its illusion. Life presents us with countless twists and challenges, yet I believe one of our goals should be to navigate its path with grace and dignity”.

“At this particular moment in my life, where everything seems to stand still, I am granted ample time to reflect on the past, contemplate the present with sincerity, and dream of the future”.

Fong went on to mention his latest album: “The name The Dreamer symbolizes that even in the face of illness and life’s many trials, I remain here, filled with creative vision and boundless dreams”.

“May you, in the days to come, continue to hold fast to your dreams, persevere in your efforts, grow, evolve and fully realise your potential at every stage of life”, the artist wrote.

Mainland media reported that Fong has been cremated in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, the location tagged in his last social media post on Weibo. 

Other reports said Fong insisted in engaging in the creative process until his last moments, including drawing storyboards while receiving treatments and folding painkiller paper manuals into paper cranes.

Fong last appeared in front of public eyes at American jazz musician Herbie Hancock’s concert in Shanghai last October, according to a netizen, who shared an apparent photo of the artist at the concert.

Fong’s music label Fu Music said the artist had passed away on February 21 after a five-year battle against illness. The label did not specify the illness. It neither revealed his cause of death nor details about a funeral.

It only said: "Fong will continue his mission and dreams in another realm of life. The music and graphic novels he left behind are an eternal spiritual legacy."

Fong was hospitalized from time to time due to pneumothorax in 2010, possibly caused by overwork. He stepped back from his music career following the release of his album Journey to the West, in 2016.

When making a comeback last October with his new release The Dreamer, he said he was on the road to recovery and his physical condition had significantly improved.