1
In 1956, Leslie Cheung was born in Hong Kong to a well-known family, and his father was a clothing king in Hong Kong at that time.
Leslie Cheung is the youngest child in the family, he also has 6 older siblings, and as soon as he was born, he was called "Rong Shao".
The family was wealthy, but the father was amorous and lingered all day long.
The mother lived the life of a young grandmother with material affluence, but she also had to fight openly and secretly with her husband's mistresses, and did not have much attention to educating her children.
Leslie Cheung has been delicate and handsome since he was a child, and he deserves to be loved by thousands of people. But his childhood was full of depression, loneliness and melancholy.
The older brothers and sisters are too old to play with Leslie Cheung.
Leslie Cheung was very lonely when he was a child, did not like to be noisy, and was a child without sound.
From infancy, anyone who came to the house was a guest in the hall, he was in the room, and no one knew of his presence.
After growing up a little, Leslie Cheung felt that his family was very chaotic, there were many characters, but none of them cared about him, and the only ones who cared about him were his eldest sister Zhang Lvping and the sixth sister of the worker.
Leslie Cheung has no feelings for his parents.
Leslie Cheung said that he had never lived with his parents since he was a child, and when he grew up, he lived with his aunt in Baofeng Mansion, but the relationship was estranged. The time spent with my father added up to less than ten days.
He and his parents are like a pair of ordinary friends, they will support them financially, and they can only be regarded as friends, unlike relatives.
For Leslie Cheung, there is nothing worth remembering and nostalgic about his childhood, he just wants to escape from this home.
When he was in junior high school, Leslie Cheung was very eloquent, and he often spoke on behalf of students. Sometimes he was selected to lead the class to study together, but he was not good at mathematics and almost slipped out of the class in Secondary 2.
Although the family relationship is cold, the wealthy family situation has given Leslie Cheung a middle-class life.
When Leslie Cheung was 13 years old, his father suggested that he go to England to study.
Leslie Cheung studied secondary school in the UK, and then was admitted to university to study textiles.
When he was a freshman, Leslie Cheung received a letter from his family telling him that his father had been paralyzed by excessive drinking, and that he had to abandon his studies and return to Hong Kong.
Having been estranged from his family since he was a child, Leslie Cheung decided to move out and live on his own without taking a penny from the family.
In order to make a living, he sold shoes and jeans, and started as a younger brother in a law firm.
2
By chance, Leslie Cheung learned that a certain TV station was holding a singing competition.
Leslie Cheung asked the sixth sister to borrow money, and he said that he wanted an application fee of 5 yuan, and the sixth sister gave 20 yuan. Because of this 20 yuan, Leslie Cheung is grateful to the sixth sister for a lifetime.
With 20 yuan in his arms, he changed his car several times to Li's TV station, signed up and participated in a singing competition.
HE CHOSE A SONG "AMERICANPIE" AND ONLY SANG A FEW WORDS TO PASS THE REMATCH, AND ONLY SANG 3 MINUTES IN THE REMATCH TO REACH THE FINAL.
In the final final, Leslie Cheung won the second place, and later signed Li's with a monthly salary of 1,000 yuan, and his acting career officially began.
At this time, he was still an unknown little singer, singing in restaurants and bars, and facing various boos every time he went on stage.
The most insulted time was when he performed in Shatin, where Leslie Cheung threw his hat down, but the audience did not appreciate it, and the audience threw it on the stage.
In the midst of laughter, Leslie Cheung said unconvinced: "I can only leave gloriously, I know you don't like me, but I will still sing hard until you like me." ”
He finished singing the song, then hid backstage and cried, and a female colleague patted him on the shoulder, and he threw himself into his arms and cried, but the next day he still worked on time as if he was fine.
In 1980, Leslie Cheung and Mao Shunjun flew and even proposed to the woman, but finally broke up.
In 1982, Chen Shufen established the record department of Huaxing Company, and needed to discover new talents. She met Leslie Cheung while eating at a restaurant and invited him to join.
Leslie Cheung's contract with Polydo Records expired soon, and he agreed very happily, and Leslie Cheung became Chen Shufen's first signed artist, and Chen Shufen also became a noble person in Leslie Cheung's life.
In December of the same year, Leslie Cheung and Tang Hede met at the Regent Hotel.
Their affection is better than that of friends who have been reunited for a long time, and they never want to be separated after this encounter.
They met when they were young, and the Zhang family and the Tang family were family friends, but they did not have time to make deep friendships, and they separated because of different developments.
Tang Hede has many qualities that Leslie Cheung lacks.
Their native family is just the opposite, Tang Hede's native family has a stable relationship and has grown up in a loving environment since childhood.
He understood what love is, and taught Leslie Cheung what true love is. Leslie Cheung lacked love since he was a child, and he wanted to spend his life to heal the trauma of childhood, and the appearance of Tang Hede just made up for Leslie Cheung's spiritual defects in this regard.
Their relationship has gone beyond ordinary male friends and even entered an ambiguous period.
When they met, Leslie Cheung was at the bottom of his career, his records were not available, he could not receive decent dramas, and he was too poor to pay rent.
Tang Hede gave Leslie Cheung a large amount of money without saying a word, and it was this money that allowed Leslie Cheung to tide over the difficulties.
Later, Leslie Cheung learned that this money was Tang Hede's salary and bonus for half a year. Therefore, he also eats instant noodles for a long time.
At that time, Leslie Cheung had no fame and no wealth, and only Tang Hede often took him around to play. This special relationship, which transcends friendship, gradually becomes a unique love in getting along.
By 1983, the two of them were in a relationship.
3
Also in 1983, Chen Shufen helped Leslie Cheung release the album "The Wind Continues to Blow", which was very popular after its release.
However, he lost at the Top Ten Golden Melody Awards, and Leslie Cheung was very disappointed, and Chen Shufen comforted him: "Don't be discouraged, work hard!" ”
Not long after, Chen Shufen took Leslie Cheung to the Tokyo Music Festival to find a theme, they saw the performance of "Monica", and finally danced a backflip to finish.
Chen Shufen felt that "Monica" was very suitable for singing to Leslie Cheung, and she traveled to Japan several times and tossed for ten months before winning the copyright.
Later, "Monica" became a hit, the song was also selected as the "Top Ten Chinese Golden Songs", and his new album "Leslie" also sold more than 400,000 copies.
Since then, Leslie Cheung's musical achievements have begun to get out of hand.
After becoming famous, Leslie Cheung did not forget Chen Shufen's help to him, and he said to fans: "The most important person in my music journey is Chen Shufen, the manager who sits on the console every night and shares my troubles. ”
In the 80s, the Hong Kong music scene was full of people who made music with their hearts, when singers did not lip synch, artists did not hype, so the quality of music was very high.
Many musicians spend their whole lives making music, and such an environment is also full of talents and competition.
Anita Mui, Jacky Cheung, Alan Tam, Xu Guanjie, Huang Jiaju, etc. are all first-class singers, the most famous of which is "Tan Zhang Fighting".
In 1983, Leslie Cheung was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, and in 1984, for the first time, he played two roles in one androgynous person, trying the style of half men's clothing and half women's clothing.
In August 1985, Leslie Cheung held his first solo concert at the Red Hall, which opened ten performances in 10 consecutive days, setting a record for the most concerts held by a Hong Kong singer for the first time.
In 1986, Alan Tam held 20 solo concerts in the Red Hall, surpassing Leslie Cheung's record.
Leslie Cheung and Alan Tam have comparable musical achievements, and the relationship between the two of them is good, but their fans are making a lot of noise.
At the award scene of the "Top Ten Powerful Songs" in 1986, the smell of gunpowder has gradually revealed.
When Leslie Cheung sang on stage, Alan Tam's fans called the name "Alan" in the audience, booing and scolding.
To calm the mood, the emcee announced two winning songs by Alan Tam in a row.
In 1987, Anita Mui held 28 consecutive New Year's Eve concerts in the Red Hall, setting a new record for concerts. Anita Mui also became the holder of the highest number of concerts among Chinese female singers, with a total of 292 concerts.
1987 was also a bumper year for Leslie Cheung, and his album "Summer Romance" beat Alan Tam's two albums and won the gold medal for the top ten golden songs.
In 1988, Alan Tam won the overall sales championship of the year, and also ushered in the climax of "Tan Zhang Competition for Hegemony".
Under the increasingly intensified contradictions of Tan Zhang's fans, in the end, Alan Tam chose to retreat bravely, and at the Top Ten Chinese Golden Melody Awards ceremony, he said:
"This year I won a lot of awards, and I also had a lot of right and wrong. After this, I will not participate in any music events of a competitive nature, and I want to give up the opportunity to more newcomers. ”
Leslie Cheung, who was also at the scene, was hiding in the background smoking. Alan Tam's concession instead made Leslie Cheung the only remaining target.
He not only has to bear the loneliness of losing his opponent, but also bears the abuse and accusations and even insults of Alan Tam's fans.
In December 1989, Leslie Cheung held 33 farewell concerts in the Red Hall, setting another record for singers.
Leslie Cheung said at the concert: "Will you not remember me soon? All I hope is, if a friend asks who are your Hong Kong singers in the 80s? You mention me casually, and I am very satisfied. 13 years after my debut, I want to say goodbye on the stage with the most applause. ”
After the last concert, a stand rose in the center of the stage, and Leslie Cheung stepped forward, put the microphone on it, turned away, and quit the music scene.
4
Lack of love since childhood, entering the music scene and subject to various controversies, which hit Leslie Cheung very hard.
Fortunately, Tang Hede has always been by his side, Tang Hede was originally a bank executive, and after Leslie Cheung became famous, Leslie Cheung asked Tang Hede to resign to help him manage his finances.
After quitting the music scene, Leslie Cheung wanted to live in seclusion in Canada, and Tang Hede followed. Leslie Cheung returned to Hong Kong to make a comeback, and he also fully supported him, and he accompanied Leslie Cheung to almost every event.
In 1992, Xu Guanjie sang a song "Rapid Retreat" to announce his retirement from the music scene.
Fan brother Alan Tam said to Xu Guanjie on the stage with regret:
"A long time ago, you were undressed on stage and sang, and there was a friend in the audience who thought you were great and he wanted to become a woman and follow you. Later, he worked hard and became a Uranus superstar, he is Alan Tam! ”
Leslie Cheung also appeared in Xu Guanjie's farewell concert, and the two sang "Silence is Golden" together.
If the 80s were Leslie Cheung's music scene testing the waters, then the 90s were Leslie Cheung's acting peak.
In 1992, Leslie Cheung participated in the movie "Farewell My Concubine" directed by Chen Kaige, and made his first screen anti-string performance.
Although Leslie Cheung retired from the music scene, he is still a famous superstar.
When filming "Farewell My Concubine", Leslie Cheung and Reed ate together, and Reed always felt that something was wrong, and the waiter next to them changed every two minutes, changing stubble after stubble.
Later, I learned that they all came to see my brother in shifts, and Reed said: "Guorong turns out that you are so famous." ”
On July 27, 1993, Leslie Cheung attended the meeting of "Farewell My Concubine" at the Shanghai Guangming Theater.
His car was parked at the entrance of the theater, and the fans outside were empty, and Leslie Cheung could not come out for 15 minutes.
Later, forty-five security guards were mobilized to maintain order, and the large glass at the entrance of the theater was burst by fans, and the broken glass hit a security guard, causing him to be injured in the back.
As soon as Leslie Cheung appeared, female fans screamed collectively, and a group of fans also raised a banner that said - Leslie Cheung, if you don't marry!
Later, Chen Kaige said: "When Leslie Cheung was in Shanghai, the buttons of his suit were pulled off by fans for a whole row!" ”
Leslie Cheung played the male and female Cheng Dieyi in "Farewell My Concubine", and when they first met, Leslie Cheung took Chen Kaige's hand and said, "I am Cheng Dieyi." ”
The film did not disappoint everyone, and she later won the country's only Palme d'Or.
In 1995, Leslie Cheung officially made a comeback and joined Rolling Stone.
Leslie Cheung released the album "Pamper Leslie Cheung", which only included the theme song he sang in the movie.
Without any publicity, it set off a rush of fans to buy them, with annual sales exceeding 2 million copies, and selling an average of two plates a minute at the Mong Kok Sino Centre.
Leslie Cheung's "Broadening Concert" is said to have sold tickets to more than 80,000 yuan.
After a few years, Leslie Cheung held an autograph meeting, and the scene of thousands of crazy fans was chaotic, and dozens of reporters and hundreds of fans surrounded Leslie Cheung.
Some people pulled their clothes, some touched their faces, and the fans who touched them excitedly shouted: Touch it! Touched it!
Leslie Cheung's last public appearance was at the Pepsi Superstar Charity Gala.
He was already very ill at that time and could not perform, but just came out and said a few words.
When he appeared, Jay Chou and Edison Chen who were present became fans lined up, cheering idols to appear, and a popular star sighed: It turns out that the superstar is like this.
5
Leslie Cheung has achieved fame in his career, but he has taken a different path from ordinary people in his personal life.
Leslie Cheung did not get married and have children, but chose same-sex companionship.
Since Leslie Cheung and Tang Hede met in 1982, they have not left for more than ten years.
Tang Hede insisted on calling Leslie Cheung at least once a day, and he wanted to reassure Leslie Cheung no matter when and where.
One rainy night, Leslie Cheung was drenched in rain, and Tang Hede drove all the way over, got out of the car and hurriedly handed Leslie Cheung an umbrella.
Then he got in the car and drove it in front of Leslie Cheung, just a few steps, he didn't want to let him get rained.
Leslie Cheung said that Tang Hok Tak was a gift from the Lord.
When asked about his personal relationships, he never shy away from saying, "I already have a partner, and I have always had only one."
Perhaps Leslie Cheung has not experienced the warmth of family since he was a child, so he is particularly dependent on Tang Hede's care for him.
But most people in China cannot accept "male-male love", and Tang Hede is also afraid that the outside world will hurt them.
And Leslie Cheung doesn't care about the outside world's opinion, he wants to give Tang Hede a name.
At the 1997 New Year's Eve concert, Leslie Cheung disclosed his relationship with Tang Hede for the first time: "Mr. Tang is the love of my life besides my mother!" ”
After their relationship was announced, it quickly became the focus of the media, and their every move would be followed and reported by the media.
Once they just came out of the movie theater and were holding hands and walking out, this scene was seen by a group of paparazzi, and Tang Hede was worried about the bad impact, so he broke away from his hand.
Who knew that Leslie Cheung grabbed his hand domineeringly and left dashingly.
After the image was reported, many called it "the greatest holding of hands of the century."
More people still can't accept such a relationship, and there are always many voices that slander and demonize them.
At the award ceremony of the Golden Horse Awards in 1997, it was originally to discuss Leslie Cheung's classic "Spring Light", but the opening performance was ridiculing the "brotherhood" in the movie.
Wang Jing also said: "I thought that Leslie Cheung would not be popular at all, because this kind of relationship was not accepted by the audience at that time, but I didn't expect that everyone would accept it later, and he would be popular." ”
At that time, the award presenters were Qin Han and Liu Ruoying.
Qin Han said: "I have been in the film industry for 30 years, but I can't act in the love between men like "Spring Light". ”
Liu Ruoying also cooperated: "I can't act either." ”
Leslie Cheung under the camera has been applauding gently.
Qin Han continued: "Because it's too shameful, if I perform this kind of thing, I will be scolded to death." ”
After the Golden Horse Awards, Leslie Cheung said that he would no longer participate in the Golden Horse Awards.
Same-sex love is difficult to be recognized by the public in China, and public opinion and unscrupulous media abuse are endless.
In addition to same-sex relationships, Leslie Cheung's stage dress has also attracted controversy.
In 2000, Leslie Cheung experimented with white feathers, dressing gowns and sheer outfits on stage.
Such an avant-garde look caused a lot of controversy at the time, and the tabloids commented that they were naked and dressed as women if they were not women.
Faced with ill-intentioned controversy, Leslie Cheung responded: "I believe that sixty years from now, there will still be people who listen to my songs." But sixty years from now, will anyone still read tabloid gossip? ”
At a concert, Leslie Cheung also had to respond: "In recent years, many people have hurt me and my relatives. I'm an ordinary person, I can't not deal with it, face it, and hope it won't hurt me. ”
Public opinion harbored too much malice towards him, but he still stuck to the goodness of his heart.
In 2002, when Cecilia Cheung was hospitalized in a car accident, Leslie Cheung gave her the amulet he had worn for many years, hoping that he would be safe.
But who knew that a year later, her brother left, which made Cecilia Cheung feel very guilty.
Since 2002, Leslie Cheung has noticed that something is wrong with his body.
Later, Tang Hede accompanied him to see a doctor, and the result of the examination was endogenous depression.
Depression is usually divided into endogenous and exogenous, endogenous is caused by insufficient brain secretions, exogenous is caused by external emotions, Leslie Cheung belongs to the former.
Leslie Cheung's physique is not very good, he has the title of "glass stomach" since he was a child, and later he also committed stomach problems. He contracted amoebia while filming a few years ago, but fortunately he was cured.
Depression made Leslie Cheung very painful, and her eldest sister Zhang Lvping recalled that Leslie Cheung was in pain a year before his death.
Leslie Cheung also cried to his eldest sister: "Sister, I have such a successful career, I have a lover, and so many friends, I don't lack anything, why do I still get this disease?" ”
In November 2002, Leslie Cheung attempted suicide, but was fortunately saved by Tang Hede.
When the illness was severe, he became short-tempered and even refused to take medicine.
Tang Hede could only eat the medicine into his mouth first, and then send the medicine to his mouth.
And drugs couldn't stop his condition from getting worse. He has a lot of things he wants to do, he wants to start a company, he wants to make movies, but his irritability makes him unable to do anything.
Before Leslie Cheung committed suicide, he had a period of solitude, when his condition flared up again.
The pain of depression made him unable to hold on, and he wrote the farewell book in despair: Depression! I haven't done anything bad in my life, why is that?
On April 1, 2003, on the evening of Black April Fool's Day, Leslie Cheung called his agent Chen Shufen and asked Chen Shufen to pick him up at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in 5 minutes.
Chen Shufen then hurried to the hotel by phone, and as soon as she finished speaking, there was a loud noise behind her, and it was Leslie Cheung who fell to the ground.
The scene of falling to the ground was miserable, and Chen Shufen quickly covered his face with clothes, saving his brother's last dignity.
6
On April 8, 2003, Leslie Cheung's funeral was held at the Hong Kong funeral home, and a group of fans gathered outside the funeral home.
A number of TV stations broadcast Leslie Cheung's funeral live, and although it was the "SARS" period, it was still surrounded outside.
Tang Hede gave him some aftermath, and many artists helped him and gave eulogies.
In the family obituary, Tang Hede is his closest relative. Tang Hede presented him with a wreath and signed Tang Hede.
Tang Hede guarded the soul for seven days and seven nights, and on the day of the funeral, his whole person was scattered and weak. Mr. Tang only said 7 words: "The night is quiet, who resonates." ”
He left suddenly, originally he promised to play ball with Tang Hede and make a movie "Stealing Heart", but he broke the appointment.
Lin Qingxia once said: "In the Hong Kong entertainment industry, there are not many people like my brother who are grateful and affectionate. ”
When filming "East Evil and West Poison", Leslie Cheung asked Lin Qingxia if she was doing well and was not happy.
Lin Qingxia burst into tears instantly, so Leslie Cheung patted her shoulder and said, "I will be good to you." ”
Lin Qingxia remembered that moment vividly, and later wrote about it in a book.
Huang Chen said that Leslie Cheung is a very polite person, respecting his predecessors and caring for his juniors.
Leslie Cheung has also made great contributions to the film industry, and works such as "Farewell My Concubine", "A Fei", "Rouge Button", and "The True Color of Heroes" have been selected as university elective textbooks.
However, public opinion was not friendly to him.
After Leslie Cheung left, Tang Hede missed him all the time.
When he saw the cover album of "Monica", he couldn't help but buy it. When you see a landmark with the word "Leslie" on it, you will take a photo.
At home, Leslie Cheung's belongings were still placed as before, and not a single one was lost.
He always remembered the agreement between them: life and death, and his son became happy. Hold the hand of the son, and grow old with the son.
In 2013, the 10th anniversary of Leslie Cheung's death, Chen Shufen held "Continue to Pamper • Ten Years • Concert" for him.
Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung and many other stars performed and delivered speeches. The last song sung in the chorus was a song dedicated by Leslie Cheung to Tang Hede that year - "The Moon Represents My Heart".
At the end of the concert, Tang Hede's speech appeared on the screen: "Ten years of life and death. Don't think about it, it's unforgettable. The water is like a day, and the day and night are not reluctant. Life is impermanent, but love alone has eternity. Let's continue to pamper Leslie Cheung. ”
This year, Tang Hede also posted a precious photo with his former lover. Since 2013, Tang Hede has posted an old photo of his brother every April 1.
2021 is the 18th anniversary of the death of his brother Leslie Cheung, and on April 1, Tang Hede posted old photos on social platforms as in previous years: "I missed you."
Leslie Cheung's ashes are kept by Tang Hede, and many fans want to worship Leslie Cheung, but there is no place.
Chen Shufen set up a memorial seat for Leslie Cheung at the Baofu Mountain Columbarium, and every April 1, fans from all over the world came, they piled flowers all over the hall, and many fans hugged and cried.
Next year, 2023 is the 20th anniversary of Leslie Cheung's death, and I believe that more fans will come to worship.