'One-Armed Swordsman' star Jimmy Wang Yu died

Jimmy Wang Yu, once the highest paid kung fu star in Hong Kong, has died at the age of 80 in Taipei, his daughter and singer Linda Wong Hing-ping said.

Wang, dubbed "One-Armed Swordsman" from his role in the movie of that name in 1967, had been battling illnesses for six years.

Linda Wong told local media that her family stayed with her father when he passed away. Although she and her family had been prepared psychologically for loosing Wang for nearly a week, they were still heartbroken and sad, but she added they could only take her father’s death as his relief from poor health.

Wong recalled when her father recovered from his first stroke, although knowing that his family objected to his drinking, he would drink a glass of wine at banquet and even insisted on "finishing it all," reflecting his mischievous side.

Wong said she flew from Hong Kong to Taipei every month to see her father and treated each visit as the last goodbye before the pandemic. But since the pandemic broke out in December, she has been talking to him only though video phone calls. She said she heading to Taipei in the coming week to take care of his father’s funeral.

Looking back at her father's life, Wong said he attached importance to the Chinese tradition of "respecting teachers and valuing the way."

"My father was loyal and valued his friends. On and off screen, he was an upright and chivalrous person, and his life was brilliant. We will always miss my father. We also believe his handsome and heroic image as one-armed swordsman will forever live in film history and in the hearts of fans," she wrote.

Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee expressed his nostalgia for Wang’s films and character. He said Wang represented an era.

Another Kung Fu superstar Jackie Chan also paid tribute to Wang on social media. Chan said his contribution to Kung Fu films and promotion of the younger generation will be remembered by the industry.

Born in Shanghai, Wang started his showbiz career in 1963 and shot to superstardom after appearing in 1967 martial arts film One-Armed Swordsman. By playing the role of the left hand swordsman, his unique sword skills won the hearts of the audience, and the film also set a box office record in Hong Kong. He then became the highest paid and best box-office martial arts star in Hong Kong.

Following the popularity of Kung Fu derived from late star Bruce Lee in the 1970s, he went to Taiwan and Japan to develop his career. He was mainly active in the production field until his retirement in the 1990s and founded a martial arts directors' union in Taipei in 2011.

After suffering his first stroke in 2011, he made a recovery and returned to acting. He won Best Actor for his performance in Soul at the Taipei Film Awards in 2013.

But he collapsed at a Bangkok airport in 2016 with what was diagnosed to be another stroke. He had to undergo two brain surgeries subsequently.

In 2019, Wang was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Horse Awards. Ang Lee, who presented the award, praised Wang Yu as "an eternal Kung Fu superstar."