Chen Peipei, a renowned Chinese martial arts actress with a career spanning six decades, has passed away at the age of 78.
Messages of condolence began pouring in after Chen's family made the announcement on Friday. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Mulan The star died on Wednesday after a battle with a neurodegenerative disease similar to Parkinson's.
“Our mother, Cheng Pei-pei, passed away peacefully at home on July 17, surrounded by her loved ones,” the statement said.
It has not been revealed where Chen died, but media reports said she was in San Francisco.
According to her family, the actress was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration in 2019. Her brain will be donated to the US-based non-profit organisation Brain Support Network to help research into her disease and other rare neurological disorders.
“It is a rare disease with symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease, but current treatments cannot slow its progression,” his family said.
Chen has chosen not to make the news public in order to deal with his illness privately and spend the rest of his time with his children and grandchildren.
Her agent also thanked the actress' friends, colleagues and supporters on Friday for all the love she has shown.
“All of us at Supreme Art Entertainment are deeply saddened by this news. We, along with her children, would like to thank all of Chen's friends, colleagues and supporters for the love they always showed in her life,” her agent posted on Facebook. “We will always miss you.”
Chan began her silver screen career at Shaw Brothers Studios in Hong Kong and is considered by many to be China's first female action hero, earning her the nickname “Queen of Swords” for her sword-wielding characters in period dramas.
Her first hit as a martial arts actress was the 1966 film Come and have a drink with me She is also remembered for her role in the 1993 Hong Kong film Madame Hua. Cheating Scholar.
She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2001. Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonShe has also appeared in international productions such as: Mulan, Nimble and Meditation Park.
Mainland Chinese star Tamia Liutao posted her condolences on China's Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo, saying she was saddened to hear of Chen's death and grateful to have met him.
“I will always remember how you lovingly called me 'Tao, Tao…' and how you shared your life experience, wisdom and strength with me,” said Liu, who was your co-star on the Chinese reality show “Tao.” Diva goes on a journeySaid.
“No matter where we meet again in the future, we will embrace each other as we used to.”
In a Weibo post, TV presenter Cao Kefan recalled Zheng's “stunning” roles as Jade Fox and Lady Hua and the friendship the pair shared.
“Whenever I saw Ms. Chen, I was touched by her laughter,” he said. “Even when she reflected on the difficult times of the past, she never complained or lamented. We spoke in Shanghainese, and she said it reminded her of her childhood.”
