Veteran Hong Kong film producer Nansun Shi, celebrated as the industry's "golden producer," has died of illness at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, aged 75.
She and her former husband, director Tsui Hark, were long regarded as Hong Kong cinema's ultimate power couple. The pair were jointly honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards last year.
Though their marriage ended in divorce in 2014, they remained an irreplaceable creative team at work until her death.
Shi and Tsui met in the 1970s at Commercial Television and founded Film Workshop together in 1984, with Shi handling production and Tsui focusing on writing and directing.
Their partnership was behind a string of classics, including "A Better Tomorrow," "A Chinese Ghost Story" and the "Once Upon a Time in China" series.
Tsui's talent drew persistent romantic rumors over the years, including reports that he was romantically linked to actress-singer Sally Yeh, which at one point prompted Shi to consider ending the relationship. The couple worked through their difficulties and registered their marriage in the United States in 1996.
In 2008, Tsui publicly declared that Shi would "always be the best woman."
However, their marriage eventually came to an end. In 2011, while filming "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," Tsui was reported to have met a woman 30 years his junior online and later hired her as his personal assistant.
In 2014, Shi publicly confirmed that she and Tsui had divorced. The pair had no children. Tsui was reported to have become a father with his new partner two years ago.
Despite the end of their marriage, Shi and Tsui remained close professional partners, continuing to collaborate on films. Their final joint project was "Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants," directed by Tsui and produced by Shi.
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