[2026.04.16] VETERAN ACTOR KONG TO PASSED AWAY AT AGE 89

Kong To passed away from heart disease yesterday morning at age 89

Susan Shaw eulogizes Kong To with a photo with him from the Performing Artists Guild's Spring Banquet
courtesy of mingpao.com

Hong Kong veteran actor Kong To died of a heart attack early yesterday morning at the age of 89. Artist Tin Kai Man confirmed the matter in an interview with the media: "(Kong To) really passed, at 7 o'clock this morning, he had a heart attack."

In recent years, Kong To's health has been a concern. He relied on hearing aids due to hearing deterioration, and when he was interviewed by the Hong Kong Performing Artists Guild's YouTube channel in 2021, his voice was hoarse and his energy was insufficient. In February this year, his last public appearance was at the Performing Artists Guild's Spring Tea Party, where he gathered with Louis Koo Tin Lok, Chin Kar Lok and many senior artists. At the time he was in decent spirit. No one expected that months later the news of his passing came.

Originally named Choi Chi Cheung, Kong To was born into a Cantonese opera family, his mother Fung Hap Wah was a Cantonese opera actress, and his uncle Fung Hap Wan and aunt Chor Jau Wan were also famous Cantonese opera actors. Kong To performed in the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe in his early years, joined Sun Luen Film Company in 1964 under the name King To, and joined the television industry in 1971. Although he worked for TVB for a short time, Kong To mainly developed in RTV (the predecessor of ATV) and ATV until he gradually faded out in 2010 due to hearing problems. He has participated in classic dramas such as CHINESE FOLKLORE, THE LEGEND OF THE BOOK AND SWORD, LUK SIU FUNG, FATHERLAND, LEGENDARY FOK, MY DATE WITH A VAMPIRE, etc. With his superb acting skills, he has portrayed many villains who are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and is known as the "ATV Legendary Support Player King". After fading out of the TV industry, he participated in the movie SUK SUK in 2019 and made his appearance on the big screen again, playing a homosexual "Chiu Jai" and acting opposite Ben Yuen Fu Wah. This film also became his final work. He once said that although the SUK SUK role was minor, he really liked acting. He was very happy to guest star and hoped to have a chance to act again. Yuen Fu Wah was very sad over Kong To's passing, praising him as a great elder.

Susan Shaw Yam Yam remembered Kong To on social platform and posted a photo with him from when they attended the Performing Artists Guild spring banquet. She said that this was her final photo with Kong To and revealed that she worked with Kong To on RTV in the 1970s. "At the time I played a Shanghai Street lady of the night. Kong To played a cop and arrested me when he saw me. Later I found out that he liked me and in the end I found a man who could protect me for the rest of my life. This was how my friendship with Kong To began. He was very filial. His Mama was a fan of my music. No matter where I performed, I would always see Kong To and his mother in the audience. Later we became mahjong friends and each other's iron fan and iron mahjong friend. You can't plan everything as life is already arranged by fate. Kong To, my first lover on television! Have a safe journey! Miss you always!"

Three years ago, Kong To was awarded the "Outstanding Performing Art Award" from the Hong Kong Performing Artists Guild and President Louis Koo Tin Lok personally presented it. At that time, Kong To said, "I am really happy to win the award. I love acting very much, and I hope to have the opportunity to continue acting. I'm not old enough to be immobile, and I can still meet the audience." Every word showed his genuine passion for acting.

In life, Kong To paid great attention to appearance, loves to dress and accessorize, and even brought his own clothes when filming dramas. Thus he was often arranged to play wealthy roles and was also known as the "professional rich guy". He once joked that he wanted to "age glamorously". When talking about life and posthumous arrangements, he also showed open-mindedness towards life and death and emphasis on charity. In March this year, when Kong To was interviewed by the media, he mentioned that actress Yu Mo Lin has not only brought joy in TV dramas for many years, but has also been more enthusiastic about charity in private as she spared no effort in running schools in poor mountainous areas in the mainland. He said that when he saw Yu Mo Lin make a will to donate real estate, he felt that this move was meaningful so he decided to follow suit. He set up a certificate of insignia during his lifetime, and donate his property and net worth to charity after his death.