Fans, family and colleagues pay tribute to late actor Aloysius Pang at memorial event

SINGAPORE - Late actor Aloysius Pang's family, colleagues and fans were among those who remembered him at a memorial event held on Sunday (Jan 5).

The actor's brother Jefferson Pang, the eldest of three sons in the family, says his family members are still in pain from the loss of their loved one.

He says between sobs: "They say time heals everything but honestly every day just reminds us of his absence. My nephew was just asking where his uncle is."

Mr Kenny Pang, the second son in the family, was also at the service, along with his two young children.

Pang died on Jan 23 last year after a serious injury during a live-firing exercise in New Zealand. He was 28.

At the one-hour memorial held at Pang's agency NoonTalk Media at Media Circle in One North, attended by about 200 people, the mood was sombre in a hall which displayed large collages of Pang's photos.

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The event, which was also live-streamed on Facebook, was hosted by former radio DJ Dasmond Koh, the founder of NoonTalk Media.

Sniffles could be heard as clips of Pang's funeral played in the hall as the event began. Pang's father also appeared briefly in a clip to thank the public for their support for his son.

Koh, who recounted how he first met Pang when he was a child actor on the set of A Child's Hope (2003), says in an emotional speech: "He was always really responsible and whatever job I handed to him I knew he would do it well and prepare himself well. I may have to lecture or scold my other artists but he was not one to worry me.

"Those few days in New Zealand were the hardest. We didn't know the situation would be so dire."

Koh then unveiled a song he penned to chronicle a year without Pang titled The World Without You to "thank Aloysius for coming into my life".

In an interview with the media after the event, Koh says Pang's family is still struggling to cope with his death and that Pang's mother still cries every time she sees a picture of Pang.

He adds that he spends more time alone now in a bid to come to terms with the loss and says: "We talked about so many things and he always made it a point to see me once a week or so. There are so many moments that I think of him, simply driving by a certain scenery or walking down the street outside where I live."

Koh also revealed that NoonTalk is working hard to bring to fruition projects that Pang was working on before his death and that it will be released gradually in the new year.

At the event, various artists such as Pang's NoonTalk colleagues Zong Zijie and Kimberly Chia paid tribute to Pang with short speeches.

Zong, along with actor and athlete Timothee Yap, sang with Pang via recording the xinyao song Voices From The Heart while actor Gavin Teo sang Pang's song Black Tears.

Pang's girlfriend - actress Jayley Woo - was not in attendance.

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Fans like Ms Irene Lau, 30, say they still miss the actor.

The Malaysian, who works in the construction industry in Singapore, says she travelled from Johor Bahru, where she lives, to attend the event.

She says: "I've liked him since A Child's Hope. I've been to the promotional events for all his dramas. I wrote him a letter today to ask him how he is and to tell him that we are all well and we remember him, and that he should not worry about us."

A small area was set up outside the memorial venue for fans to leave their messages for Pang.

The head of his fanclub, Ms Karen Kee, who is in her late 20s and works in her parents' trading firm, says: "The fanclub members still meet sometimes but every time we meet, we get really sad. But we know he wants us to be happy. In the first few months after his death, I could not sleep, I thought of the times we spent together.

"I hope he's happy wherever he is now."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.