[2025.12.31] "QUEEN OF MINOR TUNES" LIU WUN PASSED AWAY AT AGE 84

Liu Wun passed away in Hong Kong at age 84

STAR AND MOON Host Eric (right) reveals that he received the news of Liu Wun's death from her daughter

Lau Wan (left) once with Wu Ying Yin, Tsin Ting and Billie Tam (Pui Lui) formed the Four Great Heavenly Queens for a Hong Kong Coliseum concert
courtesy of mingpao.com

"Queen of Minor Tunes" Liu Wun died of a heart attack in Hong Kong on November 14th at the age of 84. Liu Wun's family followed her last wishes, kept the funeral in a low-key manner, only arranged for close relatives to attend the funeral and only announced the news of her death recently. Formerly known as Liu Guilan, Liu Wun was one of nine siblings in her family. Liu Wun, the third sister, the second sister Hsia Tan and the fifth sister Alice Lau (Hua Wa) (James Wong Jim's ex- wife) all entered the music scene; she was a proud protégé of composer Yao Min, and was good at singing minor tunes and folk songs. Liu Wun participated in the Shaw Brothers' FRANGANT NIGHT movie song competition in 1957, won the championship and met Yao Min for the first time. In the following year she accompanied her second sister Hsia Tan to EMI Records to record, and producer Wang Shu Wei and Yao Min asked her to audition. Thus she signed a contract with EMI to make her official debut. Liu Wun was still studying at the time, so she could only record records on Saturdays and Sundays. Later she became popular with "Girl At Eighteen Is A Flower". In the 1960s she sang behind the scenes on movies like "LIANG SAN POH AND CHU ING TAI" and "THE MAGIC LAMP" for the International Motion Picture and General Investment Co., Ltd. She sang for almost all of the costume films of actress Betty Loh Ti, and also sang for Li Li-hua, Lucilla Yu Ming and Jeanette Lin Tsui, etc., and became popular all over Southeast Asia.

Liu Wun married actor Wang Sun in 1966 and faded out of the business in the mid-1970s to focus on family. In the 1990s Liu Wun held concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum twice and successively performed "Golden Light Shines on the Stage" and "Golden Light Shines on the Stage" and "Golden Light Shines Again on the Stage" with Wu Ying Yin, Tsin Ting, Tsui Ping and Billie Tam (Pui Lui) in different combinations, and was very popular. Since then she rarely performed in the public, enjoying her time with her grandchildren and her twilight years.

RTHK Radio 5 program STAR AND MOON host Eric revealed that he was informed of Liu Wun's death by Liu Wun's daughter earlier. As the singing queen of a generation bid farewell to music fans, he would produce two episodes of Liu Wun's memorial special to be broadcast on the program, which included Liu Wun's interviews during his lifetime.