Published : 30/12/2025

On 30 December 2003, Hong Kong singer-actress Anita Mui Yim-fong (梅艷芳), described by the public as the "Big Sister of the music scene", passed away from cervical cancer at the age of 40.

Anita Mui was born and raised in Hong Kong, with her ancestral home in Beihai, Guangxi Province. Due to her family's poverty, she was already singing for a living with her family at Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park at the age of four.

In 1982, she won the first New Talent Singing Awards, jointly organised by TVB and Capital Artists, with her performance of the song Season of the Wind (《風的季節》), and from then on embarked on her path to stardom.

Her image was ever-changing. From 1985 to 1989, she won the "Most Popular Female Singer" award at the Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation for five consecutive years, and in 1989 also won the "Ultimate Song Chart Female Singer Gold Award" at the Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation, as well as the "Gold Song Gold Award" at the Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation, a streak that was only broken in 1990 when she publicly announced that she would no longer accept any music awards.

Anita Mui's 1985 album, Bad Girl (《壞女孩》), achieved sales of up to 14-times platinum, equivalent to approximately 720,000 copies, cementing her status in the music scene.

She had also won numerous major awards in the film industry, including the "Best Actress" award at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards, the Hong Kong Film Awards, and the Asia-Pacific Film Festival between 1987 and 1989 for the Hong Kong film Rouge (《胭脂扣》), with her acting skills receiving widespread acclaim.

Anita Mui's influence was not limited to the entertainment industry. She was also a representative of Hong Kong society, and after her death she was hailed by the media as the "Daughter of Hong Kong".