Although time heals all wounds, we never forget those whom we’ve lost, not if we love them dearly. A part of them will always stay with us and they show in the various ways we live our lives now.
Recently, fans were moved to tears during Paul Wong (黃貫中)’s performance on the variety show “Call Me By Fire (披荆斩棘的哥哥)”. He performed “Flower Festival (花祭)” with his group and sang one part in Cantonese. Although not explicitly stated, fans understood it was a tribute to Paul’s former band member, Wong Ka Kui (黄家驹).
The band BEYOND had a rocky start initially, however, it quickly rose to popularity in countries like Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and China. Many were sure their success would continue for several years. Sadly, an unforeseen accident halted the band in its prime.
In 1993, the group BEYOND travelled to Tokyo, Japan to participate in the game show “Ucchan-nanchan no Yarunara Yaraneba (ウッチャンナンチャンのやるならやらねば!“. 15 minutes into the game, a tragedy struck. Lead singer Wong Ka Kui was running on a (roughly) 3 meter high platform when he slipped and fell. A host who fell with him sustained minor injuries as his chest hit the ground first. Unfortunately, Wong fell head first and suffered a major head injury which caused him to go into a coma.
According to media reports, the singer had a brain bleed, however, his head injuries were too severe for the doctors to operate on. Fans held onto the hope that he would wake up, but unfortunately, he passed away a week later. The hospital announced his death on 30th June 1993 at 4:15pm. The cause of death was acute sub meningeal hematoma (brain bleed), skull fracture, brain contusion and acute brain swelling.
It has been 28 years since the 31-year-old singer passed away. But neither his fans, nor his bandmates have forgotten him. In fact, as a fan pointed out: “(When) Paul suddenly switched to Cantonese, (it) was as if he was speaking directly to (Wong). The other (members) quietly stepped back to let him talk to (Wong) quietly, so beautiful.”
Wong Ka Kui may no longer be here on earth, but his legacy clearly lives on. Listen to Paul’s performance on “Call Me By Fire” here:
Sources: Xuan, YouTube, Malay Mail
