Anita Mui

Anita Mui Yim-fong (10 October 1963 – 30 December 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actress making major contributions to the Cantopop music scene and receiving numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout most of her career, and was generally regarded as a Cantopop diva. Mui once held a sold-out concert in Hammersmith, London, England, where she was dubbed the "Madonna of Asia" (東方麥當娜), which brought her to further international fame. That title stayed with her throughout her career, and has been used as a comparison for both Eastern and Western media. In the 1980s, the gangtai style of music was revolutionised by Mui's wild dancing and on-stage femininity. She was famed for her outrageous costumes and high-power performances in combination with contralto vocals, which are rare in female artists. Her fan base reached far beyond Hong Kong into many parts of Asia, including Taiwan, mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia, and other countries as well. In the Hong Kong entertainment industry, where stars often rise and fall quickly, Mui remained in the spotlight for 21 years (1982–2003). Her career came to a halt abruptly in 2003 when she announced that she had cervical cancer. She died later that year at the age of 40.