Wang Yu loses bout with ill health

Kung fu movie star Jimmy Wang Yu has died at the age of 80 in Taipei, his daughter singer Linda Wong Hing-ping said.

Wang,who proved his chops in the 1967 hit movie One-Armed Swordsman, had been battling illnesses for six years.

Wong, speaking in Hong Kong, said her family was with her father when he passed away. Although she and her family had been geared psychologically for Wang's passing for nearly a week, they were still heartbroken but found acceptance in the fact that his departure marked relief for him from poor health.

When her father recovered from his first stroke, she said, he would partake of a glass of wine at banquets, though he knew his family objected to his drinking, and even insisted on "finishing it all," reflecting his mischievous side.

Wong said she flew to Taipei every month before the pandemic to see her dad and treated each visit as a chance to bid him a final farewell. But since the fifth wave of the Covid pandemic here broke out in December, she has been talking to him only on video calls.

She said she would be heading to Taipei in the coming week to take care of funeral arrangements.

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

She added: "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 on in film history and in the hearts of fans," she wrote.

Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee was nostalgic for Wang's films and character. He said Wang represented an era.

Another kung fu superstar Jackie Chan Kong-sang also paid tribute on social media, saying Wang's contributions to wu xia films and promotion of the younger generation would be remembered by the industry.

Born in Shanghai, Wang started out in showbiz in 1963 and shot to superstardom after One-Armed Swordsman.

By playing the role of the left-hand swordsman, his unique sword skills won the hearts of audiences, and the film set a box-office record in Hong Kong.

He went on to become the highest paid and best box-office martial arts star in Hong Kong.

In the wake of the kung fu golden age that got a kick from Bruce Lee in the 1970s, he went to Taiwan and Japan to further 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. 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. Presenter Ang Lee praised Wang as "an eternal kung fu superstar."