Fans and Artistes Attend Yammie Lam’s Memorial Service
The memorial service of the late actress Yammie Lam (藍潔瑛) was held on November 9 at the Saint Ann’s Church in Stanley, Hong Kong. Yammie passed away in her home and was discovered by her friend on November 3.
Hundreds of people attended the memorial service including Yammie’s sister and artistes such as Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯)、Michael Tao (陶大宇), Dicky Cheung (張衛健), Maggie Chan (陳美琪), David Siu (邵仲衡), and Rachel Lee (李麗珍). Although the memorial service was simple with only a picture of Yammie displayed, many fans along with artistes such as Maggie Cheung (張曼玉), Sean Lau (劉青雲), and Derek Kok (郭政鴻) sent flowers.
The memorial service was led by Deputy Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, Chen Zhiming (陳志明), who had met Yammie five years ago. When he met Yammie, she seemed happy and attended a mass with other churchgoers. In his eulogy, he offered prayers for Yammie. “Faith had provided a solace for Yammie. In heaven, Yammie will not be suffering; there will be no illness, no pain and no one will bother her.”
The church will make arrangements for Yammie’s columbarium and will be sending all the collected money to Yammie’s family.
At about 7 p.m., hundreds of fans were lined up to bid Yammie farewell. Among the fans was Ms. Wong who arrived with a homemade photo frame, “Yammie was a very kind person. Even when she was suffering, she didn’t speak out. Rest in peace.”
The memorial service lasted for an hour. At the end of the memorial service, Yammie’s older sister shook hands and thanked those in attendance.
Yammi, rest in peace. You are now enjoying eternal life with God in Heaven.
Such a beautiful picture of Yammie. That was really her in her prime, may she RIP.
I really cannot think of many if any actresses who was as stunningly beautiful as she.
Nowadays, the actresses all look so fake and plastic. It is very, very hard to find a naturally beautiful woman in the entertainment industry.
@dramafan How can Adam cheng not there? He loves her crazily much in Greed of man!
@lam86 yes considering David Sui and Rachel Lee were there too.
@lam86
On screen and real life are 2 different worlds as it is all just acting. You can be best friends and lovers on screen but hate each other to the bone in real life.
@dramafan Appearance-wise, I find that there’s a striking resemblance between Yammie and Gao Yuan Yuan (who also seems to be all natural).
She was, indeed, the pinnacle of beauty and talent, and I believe much of the public will remember her as such. RIP, Yammie.
@sugarcane yes you are right. Gao Yuan Yuan is indeed gorgeous and there is a slight resemblance.
Gao Yuan Yuan has a more mature look, but always feminine and graceful.
Whereas, maybe i am basing on the picture, Yammie has a very sweet, yet beautiful appearance.
@sugarcane
Yes I thought that I was the only one to think that. Yammie also looks like Annie Yi too. They are all beautiful.
@sugarcane very true. They do look like each other. I hope she is happier now wherever she is. RIP beautiful Yammie ❤️❤️❤️
What a beauty. Sad. RIP
That’s a beautiful picture of her. I thought Chingmy Yau and Margie Tsang is her good friend and none of them attending the service? And what about the rest such as Adam Cheng? Stephen Chow? Lawrence Ng? Or Damien Lau?
@cutie777 yes, sad to see many of her old friends were not there to pay their final respects.
@cutie777
I think the 3rd photo (from top to bottom) was Maggie Chan (陳美琪) and the 5th photo was Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯).
Not sure about the 4th photo. It could be Chingmy Yau or Rachel Lee (李麗珍).
Please correct me if I made a mistake.
@orchid123 yes you got it right about Maggie, sheren and Rachel but her other good friend Chingmy and Margie are not there to attend the service and I didn’t even know Rachel is one of her good friend either or even sheren. I haven’t seen Maggie for a while she still looks the same.
@cutie777 Looks like none of the artists who attended were actually Yammie’s close friends. D-icky already said that he doesn’t know Yammie that well, but they share the same faith (he’s a devout Catholic), so he decided to attend as a “brother” to show his support (plus he is friends with the bishop who presided over the service). Maggie Chan also wasn’t close with Yammie but I think she also shares the same faith (she actually did one of the readings during the service), so it makes sense why she was in attendance. David Siu, Rachel Lee, and Michael Tao were obviously there because they had worked with Yammie on The Greed of Man (David had actually said in an earlier interview that a few of them from TGOM cast would be in attendance, though not sure if they had talked about it beforehand). I was surprised to see Sheren there, as she wasn’t close with Yammie either – I’m guessing she attended also because of her faith and also the fact that they were once colleagues.
I do agree it was a little surprising that more artists weren’t in attendance, but then again, there wasn’t a whole lot of advance notice either in terms of the memorial service and most of the “big name” celebrities probably had work obligations, plus we don’t know all the behind-the-scenes circumstances, so for me personally, I don’t want to read too much into them not being there. It’s possible that some of them did send flowers, but it just wasn’t reported (though the church and Yammie’s family had also stated a few days prior to the service that they wanted a low key, simple service so they asked people not to send flowers if at all possible – of course, some artists sent flowers anyway).
From what was reported, it looks like some fans were wondering why some of the other “nine dragon girls” (the “group” that Yammie was part of back in the 80s) weren’t in attendance. To be honest, it’s really not that surprising, since most of them are no longer active in the industry. Out of the group, it looks like Maggie Cheung was the only one who sent flowers (again, that’s what was in the news…others may have sent but we don’t know)…Margie Tsang had posted a tribute of sorts on social media earlier and already indicated that her relationship with Yammie was based on what was in their hearts and there was no need to display to the public so pretty much meant she wasn’t going to make a show of attending the memorial….Carina Lau already shared her thoughts earlier about Yammie’s passing…the only other artist still active in the industry who didn’t comment yet (or at least I hadn’t seen anything reported) was Sandra Ng….the rest of the actresses either retired already long time ago or (in the case of Anita Mui) are no longer with us, so of course not going to expect them to attend or even comment about Yammie’s death for that matter.
I think the important thing is that Yammie will continue to be remembered by family, friends, fans, and many others and that she wasn’t completely alone on the last leg of her journey. Praying that she has finally found peace and happines! RIP, Yammie!
@llwy12
Well said and my thoughts exactly! After experiencing several deaths in my family kind of recently, I have came to realize that for someone to come or not to come to a funeral is not as important as how you treat the person when they are alive if you are close to them. I have noticed that even at my family members’ funerals, there were many people who my deceased family members did not even know. Some just came for the sake of going so people do not criticize them for not coming or some were just tag alongs or just wanted an excuse for going to work late,etc… not to say whoever shows up had bad intentions but coming or not depends on each person’s intentions and the situation as well as their relationship with the deceased. However, I find it sad how those who attended are getting so much praise and credit while her true friends who loved and cared for her when she alive are getting heavily criticized just for not attending.
@hetieshou Yes, exactly. But unfortunately, when you have the media involved, this is what happens. Almost immediately after the service, there were already criticisms from various people who were complaining that many artists didn’t even send flowers and that they should have at least done that if they weren’t going to attend. Um, if any of those people were following the news, they would probably know that the church and Yammie’s family specifically said NOT to send flowers – of course, some artists still did anyway but that doesn’t mean that those who didn’t send flowers didn’t care….many were merely heeding the family’s wishes, yet it is now being viewed by some as “they didn’t care enough to send flowers.”
To be honest, the more I read, the more I feel like Yammie’s family should’ve done what Raymond Chow’s family did, which was to have a private funeral with only family present – not only did they not announce any details about Mr. Chow’s funeral, they also refused all flowers from everyone (Andy Lau and a few other artists tried to send flowers but all got rejected back).
It’s sad that the family’s intention for a low-key memorial service for Yammie turned into a media spectacle with seemingly endless commentary on who attended and who didn’t. She already suffered enough when she was alive, people need to let her rest in peace!
@cutie777
Honestly, just because anyone shows up at anyone’s funeral does not necessarily mean they are close friends. There are times when there are people you do not know often show up just because they happen to be around there are tag along with a friend who is attending. Even Cheung Wai Kin said he is not even close to Yammie and came since they are both Catholics.
Sometimes the ones you are the most close to are the ones that do not attend as it is too painful. I remember people asking why Maggie Cheung did not attend Leslie Cheung’s funeral and she said it was because she was too devastated and could not handle to pain. People often mistakenly think that just because anyone attends a person’s funeral that they are close while the ones who do not attend are not close which is not necessarily true. You often see people who do not even know the deceased. It is not like a wedding where you invite people as anyone can come to a funeral.
@cutie777 I wonder too…It is such a shame.
@cutie777
Honestly, just because anyone attends anyone’s funeral means they are close friends. In this case, many of the artists that attended are not even close to her at all. I think her true close friends like Andy, Chingmy, Margie,etc… may not have attended because it was too devastating for them. They all helped her when she was still around which is much more important than just randomly showing up at her funeral like they care so much. Not trying to say that the artists who showed up had bad intentions. Cheung Wai Kin even said that he was not close to Yammie but only came because they are both artists and are both Catholic.
Yammie’s sister even said that she wanted it low key so it would have caused a big fuss if Andy, Chingmy and more artists showed up. It would have made it more high profile which is not something that her family would want. It would also not allow Yammie to Rest In Peace. It is sad that her friends that truly cared for her when she was around is getting criticized for not showing up while the ones that did not do anything for her when she was around is getting all of these praises just for attending her funeral. I find it unfair to her close friends. I still remember people wondering why Maggie Cheung did not attend Leslie Cheung’s funeral and she said it was because she was too devastated. I have a feeling that may be the case with Yammie’s close friends too. I think they just want to remember her in a happy and more positive way and could not bare to say good bye to her as it is too sad and painful for them.
Sime are in hising to not show their support because of that idiot Eric Tsang assault case
To me she was one of the most beautiful actress in the 80s besides Joey Wong and Maggie Cheung. Her beauty and talent will never be forgotten.
Yammie was very special as she was beautiful and talented. She is also very sweet too. Life sadly did not treat her well. I just hope she is in a happier and better place since this world was too cruel to her. If there is a next life, hope she will be happy. She will always be loved and missed. Thanks to her for bringing so much happiness to everyone by sharing her talent and beauty with us all. Rest in paradise Yammie! Will never forget you!
Eric Tsang why didn’t you pay last respects to ur lovely friend. Yammie Lam
@evelynn8126 He will be mobbed!
@evelynn8126 Yes, I’m still not sure if Eric Tsang raped Yammie or not, since a previous article said that the voices in the video were edited. However, if Eric is the one who raped Yammie, I really am suspicious of him. Eric Tsang faced rape allegations in early 2018. Not that I am a criminal expert or anything, but if I were him, I would be worried, I would want her dead to keep her mouth shut, lest the world know what I did. That’s why I suspect that the one of the two rapists who are alive may have murdered her. Of course, this is just a guess and not a fact. She may have died due to some physical condition that we are not aware of, and they are not sharing it with us.
@peachyogurt
Actually there was another video that was released where the voices were not edited out. The rapists were revealed as being Eric Tsang and Alan Tang who has passed away. But sadly Yammie had mental issues so some did not believe her.
I think it is a bit far fetched to think Eric murdered her. I do not think Yammie was a big threat to him as she did not have any money or power. Plus, she had mental problems and physical health problems too which all together may have caused her death. I doubt she was murdered by anyone as they said she had no physical injuries to her body. Plus, if there was foul play, after they do an autopsy, they would know her cause of death and would investigate. As of now, no one except maybe her sister may know her cause of death if she requested an autopsy.
@hetieshou I also doubt that it was foul play, as I’m pretty sure that would’ve come out already if it was. There was actually an article out in the latest issue of Mingpao Weekly that talked about her death. The reporter had interviewed Yammie’s neighbors and church friends and many said that while they are saddened over Yammie’s death, they are not entirely surprised. Apparently, while Yammie’s mental health was improving, her physical health wasn’t that good – neighbors said that awhile back ago, she had actually fallen while at home and wasn’t able to move or call for help….it wasn’t until 3 days later when someone happened to be walking by her door and heard her cries for help that they called an ambulance to take her to the hospital, which of course saved her life. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as lucky the second time around….
@hetieshou @llwy12 Thanks for the news updates as I don’t read anything else besides JayneStars.
@evelynn8126
I think it is a bad idea for him to show up. They would have mobbed him and he would be accused of shedding crocodile tears.
@evelynn8126 Anyone who actually questioned why Eric Tsang didn’t attend – um, what would’ve been the purpose of him going? Is that what Yammie and/or her family would’ve wanted? There’s a reason why the family decided to have the church make all the arrangements – they wanted to keep things as low-key as possible and avoid the media circus out of respect for Yammie (though I guess that last part didn’t really work out given all the media coverage surrounding the service — they probably should’ve closed it off completely and made it truly private). As it is, there was already enough controversy opening up the service to the public, as some stupid fan who claimed that he represented all fans in Mainland China tried to hijack the memorial by raising up a large banner asking a certain someone to come forward and admit his guilt, which honestly was inappropriate given that the purpose of the memorial was to pay respects to Yammie, not to dig up her pain and publicly display it (obviously that guy was not a true fan because if he were, he wouldn’t disrespect Yammie’s memory or her family like that). Regardless of what we or anyone else think about whether Eric raped Yammie or not, her memorial service was NOT the appropriate time nor place for people to express their frustration over the issue…I might get criticized for saying this, but in my opinion, those who keep wanting Eric to attend Yammie’s funeral/memorial service don’t really care about her, they just want to see controversy stirred up so they can sit back and “enjoy the show” – to me, that type of behavior is just as deplorable as those gossip rags who deliberately stir up stuff to attract eyeballs.
She was certainly a natural beauty! Guess that in her most difficult moments, wondering whether her ex-colleagues came forward to lend her a helping hands. I am still very doubtful. Just felt that those in attendance demonstrated their care and concerns. I stand corrected though. Be in God’s everlasting embrace, Yammie. You are in a much better place now.
@blest62
I guess you have not been following Yammie’s news through the years if you think her friends did not help her. Andy, Margie, Chingmy, her former manager(forgot her name at the moment), etc… all helped her out when she was alive. Just because they did not show up does not mean they did not care. Maybe it was too painful for them? Most of the artists that attended were not close to her at all and from what I know, actually did not do anything for her when she was still here. But I find it sad that her close friends who truly cared her are getting criticized while the ones who did nothing for her gets all of the praises just for showing up at her funeral. I am sure her close friends had good reasons for not attending. However, the love and care that her truly close friends have for her will never change and she will remain in their hearts forever.
@hetieshou
Hi, would you or anyone know how come her friends with the financial ability dont rent her a bigger apartment to live? How come they let her live in a public small unit? With her condition, if they really cared should have hired a full time housekeeper to cook, clean, take care of her daily needs and keep her company. I’m just confused why wasn’t that done. Hong kong cost the lowest to hire helper. Around hkd 30k monthly can maintain this that includes a 2 room apartment. I’m sure that’s a minimum fee for her rich friends. If anyone can let me know it’s highly appreciated bc I haven’t been following her news.
@goodday Yes, that would’ve been easy, but it’s also up to Yammie whether she wanted the help or not. Mentally stable or not, she was an adult capable of making her own decisions (most of her neighbors and friends have said that as long as Yammie took her medication, she was fine in terms of being able to take care of herself). From a lot of what I’ve read, some of her friends did try to help her, but she kept pushing them away repeatedly. A few tried to help her financially (i.e. Andy Lau and Margie Tsang) but according to the reports, Yammie took the money they gave her and gambled it all away instead of using it for her living expenses – despite that though, many continued to financially support her (or tried to anyway), but she eventually pushed them all away.
Just to put things in perspective – I have a friend with the same mental condition and it’s actually really hard to help them if they don’t want the help. When he takes his medication, my friend is usually fine and can function like normal, but when he doesn’t take his medication, all hell breaks loose. One time, during one of his episodes, he threw all of the furniture out of his house – his mom happened to be visiting so she tried to talk to him but instead of listening, he called the cops on her and tried to get her arrested for trespassing (even though the house he was living in was hers – she bought the house for him and the lease is in her name). Another time, both his parents didn’t want him living alone anymore so they had him move in with them so they could take care of him – he was fine for a few days, but then he stopped taking his medication again and when his mom tried to get him to take his medication, he hit her…the dad tried to intervene but wasn’t successful and they ended up having to call the police, who told them that there was nothing that could be done because he’s an adult and they can’t force him to take his medication if he doesn’t want to. Now I’m not saying that Yammie would act the same way as my friend – what I’m trying to say is that it’s unfair for us to sit here and try to condemn her friends for “not helping her” when we don’t know all the circumstances….maybe her friends did try to help her but she didn’t want the help, in which case we can’t blame the friends for not continuing to try to help her. Also, some of the help may not have been financial – like for instance, I believe it was Meg Lam or one of her other friends who started taking her to church and in her case, that actually helped her more than giving her money or providing for her financially did…
@llwy12
How about If not leaving cash but renting a decent 2 bedroom and a hiring maid? Just taking care of basic life’s necessitys would not that be good?
If not leaving cash but renting a decent 2 bedroom and a hiring maid. Just taking care of basic life’s necessitys would be good.