The God of Songs is ill. Recently, Jacky Cheung canceled his concert originally scheduled in Shanghai. Fans were surprised, and for a time, rumors that he “severely fell ill and was admitted into ICU” were rampant. The next day, he responded through Universal Music Group and apologized: he had contracted COVID-19, was self-isolating, and would rest well and take his medication obediently, hoping to recover his strength and meet with everyone as soon as possible. Insiders and the hospital also stepped forward to debunk the rumors, stating that the news about him being in the ICU was false.
Fortunately, that was the case. However, he truly was exhausted. Roughly counting, since last June, in just 9 months, Jacky Cheung has held over 100 concerts globally, averaging one every less than three days, with concert cities thousands of miles apart. Constant long-distance travel, dense scheduling, and intense singing and dancing performances are tough even for young people, let alone for him, who is already 62 years old. It is said that Jacky Cheung has been working so hard to compensate for the huge financial losses incurred by his wife, May Lo, in her investments. Rumors have been circulating for a long time, with Hong Kong media reporting that May Lo invested in Lehman Brothers in 2008, resulting in a loss of 40 million Hong Kong dollars. It was also rumored that she made a large profit in the foreign exchange market in 2017, but then suffered significant losses due to the outbreak of the pandemic. In 2021, Jacky Cheung sold the Clearwater Bay luxury house he bought more than 20 years ago, sparking speculation again, with rumors claiming she “lost 1 billion in 4 years,” and some even said 2 billion, though the truth is unknown. After demystifying, even the life of a top idol has its midlife exhaustion and inevitabilities.
Jacky Cheung has truly experienced hardships. The lack of material possessions is not the greatest suffering in one’s childhood; it’s the lack of a sense of security. The possibility of family separation at any moment, the collapse of life’s order, like walking in the dark, surrounded by unknown fears, not knowing whether the next step will lead to solid ground or a swamp. With a father who was often absent due to his job as a sailor and a mother who worried daily about basic necessities, it was hard to go on. They would silently borrow money from relatives and friends, returning home with tears, telling their three children that when they grow up, no matter how tough or difficult, they should never beg others for help, as asking for help is very difficult. His father also had a gambling addiction, and his brother developed one as he grew older. Jacky Cheung once paid off his brother’s massive debts, later deciding not to enable him any longer.
Every family has its own set of problems, and May Lo’s was no different. Growing up in a well-off but unhappy family, her parents were always fighting and eventually divorced when she was 7 years old, and she was raised by her grandmother (some say her nanny). The original “bugs” experienced during one’s adolescence often manifest in adulthood, either subtly or explosively. The fortunate ones use a stronger energy to repair them. Jacky Cheung once worked minor roles at the Trade Development Council and an airline company. Singing changed his fate; in 1984, he won the first Hong Kong 18 Districts Amateur Singing Contest with the song “Love of the Earth,” securing a contract with PolyGram.
May Lo was also lucky enough. Initially dreaming of becoming a singer upon joining Cinema City & Films Co., her lack of talent and off-tune singing meant she had to start as a telephone operator. It wasn’t until “Happy Ghost II,” which needed a few girls for supporting roles, that May Lo got her opportunity, stunning audiences and rising to fame thereafter. Their paths crossed when they worked together on “Devoted to You,” leading to love at first sight. The golden era of the old generation of Hong Kong stars was indeed one of innocence and liveliness, reaching the pinnacle of atmospheric ambiance.
During those years, both were in the fast lane of their careers, inundated with work. May Lo was regarded by the public as one of the most promising actresses in Hong Kong, standing shoulder to shoulder with Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, and Cherie Chung. Jacky Cheung, on the other hand, became phenomenally popular. In 1993, his album “Goodbye Kiss” skyrocketed to second in global sales upon release, setting a record in the Chinese music industry.
Xinmin Weekly analyzed the reasons for his success like this: “In the early 1990s, as the economic and business tide was about to come, people had complex feelings about money, freedom, and love. This atmosphere coincided with the boom of love songs. For example, Dave Wang’s ‘Annie’ and Faye Wong’s ‘Obsessed’ are classics among classics. In addition to having a great voice, what moves people the most about Jacky Cheung is the complex temperament mixed with warmth and melancholy in his singing. This temperament goes beyond singing skills and is more like a personal talent. This talent also helped him stand out in his film roles.” No one has counted how many people rush into karaoke to sob and sing Jacky Cheung’s songs after a breakup, turning old affairs into ashes, breaking out of their cocoons into butterflies. Years later, in an interview with host Chang Hsiao-yen, he said his personality is like Guo Jing’s (a character from Jin Yong’s novels), without much talent and only able to rely on hard practice.
This is obviously modest, but also true. To accomplish something, smart people put in the hard work, coupled with a touch of fate. The same goes for a fulfilling life. Born in the Year of the Ox and a Cancer, Jacky Cheung’s gentleness and sincerity are well known. At the 1994 Hong Kong Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards, fans of the Four Heavenly Kings started a verbal battle for their idols, causing chaos at the venue. Jacky Cheung felt uncomfortable seeing this and urged his fans not to behave like that. Later, he organized everyone to sing “Friends,” resolving years of animosity between fan camps.
But such a harmonious and open-minded attitude towards life is also honed after being repeatedly tested. During the 3 years Jacky Cheung was at the peak of his popularity, his record company rushed to release 9 albums for him, seeking quick success and being greedy for more, which directly led to a cliff-like decline in sales. As his reputation plummeted and he felt miserable inside, he began to drink heavily, and negative news surrounded him. In March 1988, after another alcohol-related incident that blew up the entertainment pages, May Lo, having endured enough, decisively proposed a breakup. Their friend Anita Mui persuaded May Lo to give him another chance, but she refused, saying she didn’t want to date a drunkard who had no sense of responsibility and drowned himself in alcohol every day. Jacky Cheung truly woke up from this pain, resolved to quit drinking, and pursued May Lo again. Three years later, the two registered their marriage in 1996 and have been together ever since.
“Let Me Tell You” was a song Jacky Cheung specifically wrote for May Lo. That year, Jacky Cheung was named one of Hong Kong’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons, and later one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World. A well-known romantic gesture is that in 1999, he was authorized by the World Astronomical Union to name an asteroid, which he immediately decided to call “MAY,” after May Lo’s English name. May Lo, born in the Year of the Snake and a Virgo, had been labeled over many years as having “severe mysophobia,” “extremely picky,” and “changing 21 Filipino maids in 3 years.” She withdrew from the entertainment industry at the end of 1993, focusing on her family and giving birth to two daughters.
Having money and love can eliminate most of the sufferings in life, but it still doesn’t solve everything. Some pains are inherent to life itself. For instance, the first-generation Heavenly King’s sister-in-law, despite her happiness and wealth, has always been troubled by anxiety and compulsions. After giving birth to her daughters, her obsession with cleanliness spiraled out of control. She would carry a plethora of disinfectants whenever she went out, being extremely cautious and unwilling to stay in hotels, fearing her children might be contaminated by unclean objects, even reluctant to let her mother-in-law hold her daughters.
At Anita Mui’s funeral, someone sneezed, and she unconsciously fanned the air repeatedly with her hand. This scene was captured and exaggerated with sensationalist spins. The story of “changing 21 Filipino maids in 3 years” has become a long-standing gossip fodder. Indeed, having someone like that around could be annoying to anyone. However, a detail moved me deeply: when Jacky Cheung was at his lowest, struggling with alcoholism, May Lo, despite her obsession with cleanliness, stayed by his side to take care of him, cleaning up his vomit time and time again. Anxiety, compulsions, and fear, the psychological pain that devours a person’s energy, should not become someone’s sin or a subject of ridicule.
When gossip targeted her obsession with cleanliness, he defended her. She enjoyed managing finances, so he entrusted his earnings to her for property investments and rent collection, keeping her happily busy. After their two daughters were born, Jacky Cheung immediately became a model father, saying children grow up too fast and he couldn’t stay away for too long. He even declined invitations from the Spring Festival Gala to spend more time with his daughters. Men who candidly admit they can’t balance career and family are truly invaluable. May Lo, a perfectionist, strictly manages their two daughters, often feeling anxious and losing her temper, leaving Jacky Cheung to lament that he often gets scolded by his wife.
The glamour of a superstar, the helplessness of a middle-aged couple, where do clear boundaries lie? Is it a loss? Who can say for sure? In the adult world, if everything was accounted for, it would indeed be a confused mess, likely unfinished. A person who insists on their principles is bound not to have an easy life. Like now, a man still “fighting for his wife” in his sixties. It’s this weight that makes his life more meaningful and flavorful than others. These intricate debts of life allow us to deeply connect with the world, not easily conceding to aging and impermanence. I hope the God of Songs recovers soon, continues to sing and dance freely, and remains as loving as ever.
