Danny Chan


Danny Chan Pak-keung was a Hong Kong singer. He was among the first generation of pop idols in Hong Kong. In addition to singing, he showed his talent for writing music in some of his songs, such as "Tears Dropping for You" , "Ripples" , "Just Loving You" and "Wait" . He is mostly remembered for his Cantopop romance ballads and high quality compositions. Chan died on October 25, 1993 after being in a coma for 17 months.

Career

Chan was born on 7 September 1958 at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam. His father was Chan Pengfei, a businessman in the watch industry.. He won third prize at the "HK Pop Song Composition Competition" in 1977. In that same year, he made his acting debut with Hong Kong Television Broadcasts through a TV drama called Sweet Babe. In 1978, he won first prize at the "Hong Kong Yamaha Electone Festival". He held his first music concert in Hong Kong that same year. His first music album, entitled First Love, was released in 1979. A song from the album, "Tears Dropping for You", became his best-known song.
Chan subsequently signed a music contract with HK EMI, WEA, DMI, and finally moved back to Warner Music. He started singing Cantopop songs, some of which are still popular such as "Ripples", "Just Loving You" and "Life Expectations". The song, "Tell Me What I Can Do", was sung with Crystal Gayle in 1984. The song, "Remembrance on Parents' Love" , is often played on radio stations and frequently chosen for karaoke.
In the early 1980s, Chan was a host in the TV show Bang Bang. His co-operation with Leslie Cheung and Paul Chung in the films Encore and On Trial , received positive reception from the public and media. He was also a main character in the film An Autumn's Tale in 1987, as Vincent, with Chow Yun-fat and Cherie Chung.

Death and speculation

Chan suffered from mild depression, which worsened during late 1980s. On 18 May 1992, Chan was found unconscious and he was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong. It was speculated that this was due to an accidental mixing of alcohol with medicine.
Chan had suffered from advanced brain damage. He went into a coma for 17 months and died on 25 October 1993 at the age of 35.

Commemoration

On 8 November 2005, the Hong Kong Post issued a set of special stamps featuring "Hong Kong Pop Singers". This stamp set focused on Hong Kong's popular singers, saluting five pop stars who have left their marks on Cantopop music history. Chan was featured on the HK$1.80 stamp.

Discography

Albums

Notes
Songs written by Chan include "First Love" and "Rocky Road" in English and "Craziness of Love", derived by Chan as well. In 1999, the song "Ripples" was used by the Hong Kong Government in commercials for the Tracker Fund IPO.

Filmography

Cinematic films

Music