Veteran Hong Kong actress Leung Oi has died at the age of 87.
Hong Kong media ST Headline revealed in a report on July 16 that she had died on July 6 at a nursing home in Shenzhen and her family members have completed her afterlife matters.
Leung Oi, who is known for playing domestic helper characters in drama and films, revealed in December 2025 that she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after seeking medical attention for unbearable pain in her legs which led to walking difficulties.
She said then that she would not undergo chemotherapy or radiation and would manage her condition through regular follow-up appointments and traditional Chinese medicine.
Adding that she loved to eat both savoury and sweet things, she wanted to try delicious food whenever she saw it, as her illness didn’t seem to affect her appetite.
Leung Oi also revealed then that she had been hospitalised three times for critical heart issues and had already signed a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order.
“Living past 80 is already a bonus. I didn’t think twice about refusing treatment. We coexist peacefully; I’m friends with it (the tumour). As long as it doesn’t cause pain, it’s fine,” she said then.
In the latest report, Leung Oi’s health was said to have deteriorated rapidly after diagnosis, with her weight dropping to around 32 kg. She was unable to take care of herself and moved to a nursing home in Shenzhen for round-the-clock care.
Leung Oi, who was born in China, was abandoned by her biological parents when she was young. While she was adopted by a wealthy family in Hong Kong later, her adoptive parents did not treat her well and she ran away at age 12 to work as a waitress, domestic helper and factory worker.
At 19, she joined showbiz as an extra in Cantonese feature films. Later, she married Hong Kong director-screenwriter Tso Kea and they had a son together. Despite enjoying a comfortable life then, their family went into bankruptcy after being affected by the Hong Kong 1967 riots and Leung Oi returned to work in a factory.
She joined TVB in the 1970s, playing supporting roles in dramas to support her son’s education in the United Kingdom, and later migrated to Canada with her family. Tso Kea died in 1997, while she was filming a drama in Malaysia.
Leung Oi suffered a fall in 2019 and her son flew from Canada to Hong Kong to care for her. However, shortly after returning to Canada, he suffered from a heart attack and died at the age of 55.
Since then, she faded out of showbiz, retiring alone in Hong Kong.
Over her five decades in showbiz, Leung Oi appeared in more than 30 films and 70 dramas, including Chow Yun Fat’s This Generation (1976) and Stephen Chow’s The Justice of Life (1989). She was last seen in Hong Kong film Pass and Goal (2025).
[[nid:740485]]
yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com
Read the full article here
