Cheng Kam Cheong

Biography

Cheng Kam Cheong was born in Malaysia on December 22, 1941, and raised by his mother after losing contact with his father who returned to mainland China. The eldest of four siblings, he had to work from a young age to support his family, taking on various manual labor jobs. Known as the "Prince of Yueju Songs," he excelled in singing Yueju ditties that made him famous in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. He released his first Mandarin album in 1966, then introduced successful Cantonese songs like "The Vagabond" and "Women Women Women." He achieved widespread fame in 1969 with "Mandarin Ducks River," a major breakthrough at a time when Hong Kong only knew Mandarin and English songs. He won the Ming Pao "Top Ten Singers" award in 1971 for "Zen Monastery Bell." He appeared with Bruce Lee on "Enjoy Yourself Tonight" in 1973, performing "Fists of Fury," and became a regular singer on the program. He held four farewell concerts in Hong Kong in 2017 and retired after a career spanning over fifty years. He passed away on November 29, 2019 in Kuala Lumpur due to kidney failure at age 77.