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DAILY MAIL
Cheng Pei-pei, renowned for her iconic role in Ang Lee’s Oscar-nominated film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, died on Wednesday at the age of 78 in San Francisco.
‘It is with a heavy heart that we announce that the rumors are true. Our mother, Cheng Pei-pei, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on July 17,’ Cheng’s family wrote on her Facebook.
The Chinese actress, dubbed the ‘Queen of Swords’ and considered among the first female action stars, was ‘diagnosed with a neurodegenerative, atypical parkinsonism syndrome – unofficially, corticobasal degeneration’ in 2019, per Cheng’s family.
‘It is a rare disease with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, however, current treatments cannot slow the progression,’ they continued. ‘She chose not to make this news public so that she could deal with her condition in private and spend her remaining time with her children and grandchildren.’
Her family remembered Pei-pei as the ‘legendary Queen of Martial Arts’ as well as a ‘versatile, award-winning actress’ with a career spanning over six decades internationally.
Cheng Pei-pei, renowned for her iconic role in Ang Lee’s Oscar-nominated film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, died on Wednesday at the age of 78 in San Francisco; seen in 2019
‘It is with a heavy heart that we announce that the rumors are true. Our mother, Cheng Pei-pei, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on July 17,’ Cheng’s family wrote on her Facebook; seen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with Zhang Ziyi (L)
‘Our mom remained humble and approachable, patient and kind, and always generous with her time, eager to help others whenever she could. She will be dearly missed,’ they concluded.
Pei-pei, born in Shanghai on January 6, 1946, moved to Hong Kong in 1962, where she began her illustrious career with the iconic Shaw Brothers studio, known for popularizing kung-fu movies.
She made her feature debut in the drama Lovers’ Rock and quickly rose to fame as a major star in martial arts, action, and swordplay films.
Her breakout role came in 1966 with King Hu’s Come Drink With Me, which catapulted her to fame at the age of 19.
The film that set the stage for a sequel (Golden Swallow in 1968) and inspired numerous female-driven action movies from East Asia.
Although Come Drink With Me was selected as Hong Kong’s contender for the Oscars, it was not nominated.
Cheng also starred in several other Shaw Brothers films, including The Jade Raksha (1968), Dragon Swamp (1969), The Lady Hermit (1971), and The Shadow Whip (1971).
In the 1970s, Cheng moved to California, where she balanced raising four children with attending business school at the University of California, Irvine.
The Chinese actress, dubbed the ‘Queen of Swords’ and considered among the first female action stars, was ‘diagnosed with a neurodegenerative, atypical parkinsonism syndrome – unofficially, corticobasal degeneration’ in 2019, per Cheng’s family; seen in 2018
Pei-pei, born in Shanghai on January 6, 1946, moved to Hong Kong in 1962, where she began her illustrious career with the iconic Shaw Brothers studio, known for popularizing kung-fu movies; seen in Mulan
More recently, Cheng starred in the 2014 film Lilting (pictured) and played The Matchmaker in Disney’s 2020 live-action remake of Mulan
Her career experienced a major resurgence with her role as the villainous Jade Fox in the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which would go on to win four Oscars.
More recently, Cheng starred in the 2014 film Lilting and played The Matchmaker in Disney’s 2020 live-action remake of Mulan.
She is survived by her four children, Eugenia, Jennifer, Harry, and Marsha, as well as her grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, Cheng requested that donations be made to the Brain Support Network (BSN), to which her brain was donated.