Girlfriend and Friends Grieve and Pay Tribute to Godfrey Gao
Godfrey Gao’s (高以翔) untimely death on November 27th sparked an outpour of grief around the world, with friends and fans remembering the 35-year-old Taiwanese Canadian actor as charming, kind, dedicated, and hard-working. Many celebrity friends took to social media to grieve the actor, including JJ Lin (林俊傑), Cyndi Wang (王心凌), Joe Chen (陳喬恩), Chiling Lin (林志玲), Calvin Chen (辰亦儒), Jiro Wang (汪東城), and Vivian Dawson (錦榮). Shang-Chi star Simu Liu (劉思慕) and Shadowhunters actor Harry Shum, Jr. (岑勇康) are also mourning for the actor, including Lily Collins, Godfrey’s costar in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
Some friends have chosen to pay tribute to Godfrey in unique ways. Taiwanese basketball player James Mao (毛加恩) held his wedding today, and Godfrey was meant to attend his wedding as a groomsman. During a group photo, James and his groomsmen purposefully set aside a space for Godfrey. James said, “Godfrey Gao’s space must be protected.”
What was meant to be a celebration of a happy union became a bittersweet farewell to a close friend. James payed tribute to Godfrey at the reception, sharing short clips of James with Godfrey, hanging out and having fun. Many guests broke down and cried.
Former NBA star Jeremy Lin (林書豪), who is currently playing for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association, chose to pay tribute to Godfrey in the form of kicks. Jeremy designed a pair of new shoes that had his picture with Godfrey printed on the ankles. The basketball junkies had been close friends for many years—while filming an episode for the basketball show Game On <我要打籃球>, Jeremy appeared on stage wearing Godfrey’s suit.
Although their relationship never went public, Godfrey’s girlfriend of three years, Bella Su (蘇湘涵), also remembered Godfrey on her social media. Bella, a non-celebrity, had flown to Ningbo with Godfrey’s family to arrange funeral proceedings. She had stayed quiet about Godfrey’s passing until today, when she finally updated her Instagram bio with the words “Whatever we are… you and I will always collide.”
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
