Acclaimed Taiwanese songwriter Liu Chia-chang died of cancer on Monday (Dec 2). His death was confirmed by his assistant on Tuesday.
The hitmaker was a towering figure in the world of Mandopop in the 1960s and 1970s. He was said to be 81 years old although some outlets suggest he was 83.
His family released a statement saying, “it is with great sadness for us to announce that our beloved ‘teacher’ has succumbed to cancer on Dec 2.”
The statement also detailed that his family was with Liu in his final moments and that he passed away peacefully.
According to the statement, a low-profile funeral is in the pipeline. Liu’s family asked for the understanding of friends and the media to allow them to handle this privately.
Liu reportedly composed more than 2,000 songs in his storied career, many of which were hits.
Classics like Meilan Meilan I Love You, Dream Behind The Curtain, Seagull, Where Is My Home and Memories Can Only Be Reminisced were composed by Liu for A-list Taiwanese singers Fong Fei-fei, Liu Wen-cheng and YuYa.
Liu also had a knack for spotting talents. He was credited with bringing the likes of Fong Fei-fei, Fei Yu-ching and Jenny Tseng onto the music scene.
In the last decade, the songwriter took to singing himself and held a concert in Singapore in 2014.
Ahead of that concert, Liu told local media about his unreleased, new songs: “In the past, I was never a singer and never had the chance to release them at media conferences, so this is a final chance for me to do so and give everyone a CD souvenir.”
He also expressed his fondness for his fans. “Without support from fans from Singapore and Malaysia, I wouldn’t be where I am today and I want to express my gratitude in person. It’s been 50 years and people still remember me.”
