[Obituary] Susanna Au Yeung Dies of Lung Cancer
Former Hong Kong actress, Susanna Au Yeung (歐陽佩珊), died of lung cancer on July 9. Diagnosed with cancer in April, Susanna only had three months to live. Best remembered for her role as Wong Yung in 1983’s Return of the Condor Heroes <神鵰俠侶>, the 63-year-old is survived by her husband, TVB actor Samuel Kwok (郭鋒).
While on vacation in Malaysia earlier, Susanna suffered stroke-like symptoms and was admitted into a local hospital. Samuel said, “Three separate brain incision operations were performed and we couldn’t find anything wrong the first two times. For the third operation, the doctor made a bigger incision and finally found the tumor.”
Although Susanna was immediately transferred to a Hong Kong hospital, it was too late. Samuel said, “Since the lung cancer was too advanced, it had already crept into the brain. That’s why they found cancerous cells in the cerebellum.”
Despite Susanna’s sudden departure, Samuel said his wife did not have any unfulfilled wishes. After Susanna retired from acting in 1991, she became a licensed qi gong practitioner. Over the last two decades, Susanna has taught over one thousand qi gong students. “This gave her immense satisfaction. I’m very proud of her!” said Samuel.
Susanna’s funeral will be held following Christian rituals, although the date of the funeral service has not been set yet.
40 Years of Marriage
Susanna and Samuel fell in love after being frequent co-stars in television dramas. The couple got married in 1977 and do not have any children. Supporting each other throughout many of life’s challenges, Susanna was there for Samuel when he had a bone cancer scare several years ago. Susanna had bravely dealt with her battle with cancer in the last days of her life.
Source: Oriental Daily
This article is written by Jayne for JayneStars.com.
Susanna Au Yeung was very charismatic in “Return of the Condor Heroes”. She portrayed her character’s wit and intelligence very well, perhaps better than any other actress as the mature Wong Yung. It is very sad to learn of her death.
@jayne
Yes Susanna was the best mature Huang Rong ever. I heard that Rebecca Chan was the first choice but did not want to play that role so they asked Susanna instead. I think that was a good move and Rebecca really missed out. She will be forever loved and remembered.
@hetieshou Susanna Au Yeung was perfectly cast as Wong Yung / Huang Rong due to her looks and charisma. Actually in the 80s, Rebecca Chan was a pretty wooden actress; she became a lot better in her later acting career.
@hetieshou @bubbletea
I’m curious to know how did the HK media know about Susanna’s death in the first place? I remember there’s already rumors spreading about Susanna’s death on media, before Kwok Fung even confirms it.
Still relatively young. 🙁 RIP. And condolences to Kwok Fung.
I absolutely adored her as the older Huang Rong in Return of the Condor Heroes! She honestly made the drama for me, as I could not have care less about Siu Long Nui…
RIP 🙁
Very shocking news. I didn’t even know she was sick.
R.I.P Susanna Au Yeung.
She was a great actress. Even in very old series/movies, when she was very young and when other actors’ acting look staged/affected, she was very natural.
I was devastated when I found out about Susanna’s death a few days ago. As I said in my blog, Susanna was one of my favorite veteran actresses and along with Samuel (another of my favorites), they were one of my most beloved celebrity couples. My heart is breaking for Samuel right now because knowing how much he loved his wife, this must be very very hard for him — I cried when I heard Samuel say that his relatives will help take care of Susanna’s funeral arrangements because he couldn’t bear to do it himself.
I went back and re-read one of the interviews Samuel did 2 years ago where he said that his wife doesn’t like diving but he loves it, so she would often accompany him to the beach where he would dive and she would sit on the sand and wait for him, sometimes for several hours at a time, always patient and without any complaint. This is just one example of how sweet this couple always was, even after being married 40 years. My deepest condolences to Samuel and I pray that he will find the strength to continue on… 🙁
Rest in Peace, Susanna!
@llwy12
Thanks for sharing the story about Susanna and Samuel. I always knew they are a sweet and loving couple but yet were also selfless and thought of others as well. They are truly an ideal couple where both husband and wife sacrifice for each other.
By the way, did you ever hear about Susanna’s family like her parents and siblings ? I never hear about them and only hear about her and husband only. Maybe it is because she is married. But even with Angie Chiu who married young, she mentions her parents and siblings from time to time.
@hetieshou Well, Susanna has always been the low key type, even more so after she retired from the industry in 1993, after which she rarely did interviews anymore. But even during the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, when she was most active in the industry, there weren’t that many interviews where she talked about her family. In a way, it makes sense, since the media back then was mostly interested in her relationship with Samuel, which was a little controversial in that they were such an unlikely pair – when they got married 2 years after they started dating, a lot of people thought the marriage wasn’t going to last (of course, those people were proven wrong!). In terms of Susanna’s family, if I remember correctly, she had a lot of brothers and sisters and they all grew up on a farm in an old HK village. She was particularly close to one of her younger sisters, who was also the bridesmaid at her wedding. She was also very close to her mom and was known in the industry for being a very filial daughter…in one of her earlier interviews (in the 70s), she had said that she only started dating for the first time at the age of 18 because her mother was very strict and didn’t allow her to date. She subsequently broke up with that first boyfriend when her mom didn’t approve of him….which is why she was surprised a few years later when she brought Samuel home to meet her mom for the first time, she liked him from the start and approved of their relationship from the get-go.
Yes, both Susanna and Samuel were truly selfless. In fact, the main reason why Susanna decided to become an acupuncturist and qigong instructor was because she wanted to help others, as at the time, she was still dealing with an old injury she had sustained when she fell off a horse during her filming days and knowing the pain she went through, she wanted to see what she could do to help others going through physical pain from injuries and such. When he was interviewed yesterday, Samuel said that he can take solace in the fact that Susanna had helped a lot of people during her lifetime and he is proud of her accomplishments (awwww…..).
@llwy12 Saw the interview, it was so sweet. He also shared his fear of needles but let her poked two needles into his forehead when she was studying to be a Chinese physician and was practicing acupuncture. Reporters still had pictures of them holding hands in public a few years ago. It must have been awfully hard for him right now.
She’s my favorite middle aged Wong Yung and her role in Chor lau heung’79 is one of my favourite characters in the drama serial.
RIP
@bearbear I was re-reading an interview that Susanna had done back in the 80s where she said that she and her husband are like twins — where one goes, the other follows. She also said that in all the years they’ve been together, they’ve never had an argument, not even once…she said they love being in each other’s company and whenever they both didn’t have to work, they would stay home and play games together: chess, checkers, Chinese checkers, even 2-person mahjong! They were truly soulmates in every sense of the word, which makes it even sadder now, as I’m sure Samuel feels like part of his life was taken away…(I’m getting teary-eyed again just thinking about it…)
@llwy12 This is so sad to read. I hope he will stay strong! She will want him to still be happy!
@happybi Indeed. I hope so too… 🙁
By the way..(this is me just venting so you guys don’t have to read this if you don’t want to)…
TVB is getting some major backlash right now for being inconsiderate and trying to use other people’s pain to boost their own programs. Their infotainment program The Scoop had a “live” segment where they called up Samuel hoping to interview him about his wife’s death – Samuel politely declined and asked if they could do the interview later, as he was not in the mood at the moment (obviously). Honestly, what was the point of TVB calling up Samuel on TV (while audiences are watching) to ask about his wife’s death? All the news outlets already reported it and there aren’t any “details” that didn’t already come out, so why was there a need to call him to ask (and in such a public manner too) knowing that he is grieving right now? They could have just reported it like they do any other news instead of disturbing Samuel. It’s situations like these that make me hate TVB (and their idiotic management) more and more. Sadly, this isn’t the first time TVB has been insensitive or used other people’s pain for their own gain (they did something similar to former actor Gordon Lau several years ago). It’s obvious that their management nowadays only care about making money and boosting ratings – everything (and everyone) else that doesn’t further this agenda can go to hell. Argh…
@llwy12 They just don’t care. Ruthless company. Poor guy need time to recover and don’t need this type of BS! Unacceptable!
@llwy12 I was shocked to know of her death and very much saddened. She was a good and talented actress during that period of time and she was very pretty. Although she was already famous she left the entertainment industry early to pursue her personal ambition. It’s such a pity she passed away at a relative young age.
I remember reading the news that Susanna is a heavy smoker. It’s unfortunate that many cancers aren’t diagnosed until the disease is well-advanced and too late to cure. If she is detected at an early stage, she would have a better chance of survival.
Susanna was one of the few TV actresses that I truly admire. She has a certain feminine charm about her that appealed to fans of both genders. I’m sure many others like me is really sad that she has passed on. Rest In Peace, Susanna.
And to Samuel, take heart that she has gone home to the Lord in eternal peace.
I just learned of her death yesterday morning and was so shocked and saddened. At first I thought I misread the news. I just couldn’t believe it and am still in shock. Really hope she rests in peace and is in a happier and better place now.
She will always be loved and remembered by everyone. My whole family adored her acting and love her as the mature Huang Rong. My deepest condolences to Samuel as I know how difficult it must be for him. They were one of my most favorite celebrity couples. Hope Samuel stays strong!
So sad.. still so young. May she rest in peace!!
@happybi I agree it is a very sad time for her family friends and fans, Susanna was a very sweet person, on and off screen. I believe that the Condor series with her and Andy was the very best one. Often imitated, but never duplicated. The death of a loved one is always a painful, long process for loved ones to absorb as some of us here know very well, and Susanna loved, and was loved. My thoughts are with her nearest and dearest, especially her husband. They had one of the most solid, loving marriages in showbiz. May she rest in peace.
@bubbletea Very well-said! I read today that since Susanna’s death, Samuel has not returned home and instead has been staying with relatives for the time being. His friends are worried about him but don’t want to disturb him either. Also, it has been confirmed that Susanna’s memorial service will be held on 7/30 and burial will take place the next morning (7/31). Thoughts and prayers continue to be with Samuel and their family through this difficult time….
@llwy12 Awww, that is so sad. I feel for Samuel. Like I said they had a loving, strong marriage that lasted a super long time. There are not many marriage in the industry that last that long. Heck, there are marriages outside the industry that are just crumbling after a few years. Good that Samuel has relatives to stay with during this difficult time. They need each other right now. It would be hard to go back home knowing that the woman he spent forty happy years married to (in a beautiful , loving marriage) is not there anymore. Although fans make them out to be gods and goddesses, showbiz people are humans too, and Samuel needs support right now,
@bubbletea Just sad….hope he will be able to share his grief with relatives.
My deepest condolences to Kwok Fung. I don’t know his wife, but reading about her life, she seems like a very giving, loving and exceptionally beautiful person. They were very blessed to have each other and it must be a very painful loss to Kwok Fung.
@coralie She was a good and talented actress during that period of time and she was very pretty. Although she was already famous she left the entertainment industry early to pursue her personal ambition. It’s such a pity she passed away at a relative young age.
I remember reading the news that Susanna is a heavy smoker. It’s unfortunate that many cancers aren’t diagnosed until the disease is well-advanced and too late to cure. If she is detected at an early stage, she would have a better chance of survival.