[2026.01.19] MARTIAL ARTS FILM STAR BRUCE LEUNG PASSED AWAY AT AGE 77

Bruce Leung

Bruce Leung was a famous martial art film star, his memorable turn in KUNG FU HUSTLE remains in the hearts of many

Bruce Leung worked with Stephen Chow in KUNG FU HUSTLE
courtesy of on.cc

Martial art film star Bruce Leung passed away on January 14th at age 77

Jackie Chan posted a photo in memory of Bruce Leung

On the day before his passing, people still posted photos with him at a mainland gathering. In the photo Bruce Leung appeared to be in good spirit, giving the thumbs up

Tin Kai Man was well remembered for his KUNG FU HUSTLE performance, Tin Kai Man praised him as an elder very worthy to learn from
courtesy of mingpao.com

Famous Hong Kong kung fu actor who played the villain in Stephen Chow Sing Chi's movie "KUNG FU HUSTLE" (GONG FU), Bruce Leung Siu Lung died of illness on January 14th at the age of 77. According to the news his family is currently handling the funeral in a low-key manner, and the funeral ceremony is tentatively scheduled to be held in Longgang, Shenzhen on January 26th.

The day before Leung Siu Lung's death (13th), some people still shared photos of dinner with him. In the photo he and his friends were having hot pot in Luohu, Shenzhen, and he seemed to be in good spirit. No one would have expected that he passed away the next day.

Martial arts superstar Jackie Chan posted a photo with Leung Siu Lung on Weibo with a condolence, "Just returned to Beijing, I was shocked to hear the news of Mr. Leung Siu Lung's death. I neither dare nor was willing to believe it for a while......in my memory, he was always that kung fu expert who excelled in many traditional martial arts and able to fight with his own style in each one. He applied what he had learned all his life to film and television works, and was a very excellent action director. At the same time as an actor, he shaped so many classic characters. The audience deeply loves him and colleagues like us could not admire him more. Brother Leung, it's snowing in Beijing. It's very cloudy, I miss you..."

Once collaborated with Leung Siu Lung on "KUNG FU HUSTLE", Stephen Chow Sing Chi posted old photos on IG stories in mourning with the caption "Forever Missed Mr. Leung Siu Lung". Good friend Tin Kai Man missed him and pointed out that earlier he met up with Leung Siu Lung, whose health has always been very good. Tin Kai Man revealed to the media that Leung Siu Lung passed away due to heart failure. He remembered when he first got into he business he had a great relationship with Leung Siu Lung and lamented that "it would always remain in my heart." He said that the most important inheritance Leung Siu Lung left to Chinese film was real kung fu, with his skills he won the adoration of the audience, displayed his demand for himself and spirit of pursuing perfect and worthy of learning from. Tin Kai Man said that he has not yet contacted Leung Siu Leung's family, but knew that his family has said that they wanted to keep the funeral low key. Hence they would be more suitable to discuss it.

Leung Siu Lung's social platform was still updated daily after his passing, his account has probably been handed over to his team to continue to be operated. After the news of his death, his account also posted last night. The post was dated January 14th, suspected to the farewell letter and final words that Leung Siu Lung left for his fans. "Please forgive me for not saying goodbye, just pretend that I have gone to a very far away place to make movies. Originally I wanted to keep it a secret, so the closed door disciples have been posting videos as usual. I like to have a little sense of mystery. Please properly live on for me. Love is always here, remember that I love you."

Formerly known as Leung Choi Sun, Leung Siu Lung has practiced martial arts such as Wing Chun and karate since childhood, and became a stuntman at the age of 15. In 1973 he starred in the movie LITTLE SUPERMAN (SUN LUNG WOOT FU). In the 70s of the last century, along with Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Ti Lung, he was known as the "Four Little Dragons" in the Hong Kong entertainment industry. In 1976 he played Huo Yuanjia's apprentice and national hero "Chen Zhen" in the Hong Kong TV series LEGENDARY FORK and THE FIST, which were popular in the mainland at the time. He also became one of the most prestigious martial arts stars in Hong Kong in the early 80s of the last century.

After that, Leung Siu Lung changed careers until his comeback in 2004, playing the villain role in the movie "KUNG FU HUSTLE". His popularity rose again and he is still talked about by fans now. However Leung Siu Lung and Chow Sing Chi's collaboration was less than pleasant, as he expressed his displeasure multiple times in past interviews. He insisted against calling him Sing Yeh. "Calling him Sing Yeh would be insulting myself, I would only call him Director." He despised the talk that "Chow Sing Chi made him 'famous'", and was upset at his KUNG FU HUSTLE salary. He said that it was not enough to match his business revenue in a month and even clearly rejected working with Chow Sing Chi again. Aside from "not being paid fully after the job was done", Chow Sing Chi also made movies "without a script". The cast had to listen to his direction on the set, which was enormously stressful.

Leung Siu Lung had two marriages in his life. His first wife was singer Irene Ryder (Lai Oi Lin). They had had a daughter Anne but were divorced in the early 1980s. Lai Oi Ling passed away in 2024. In 1995 he remarried and had a pair of children with his second wife with Song Xiang, who was 20 years his junior.