TEN years have passed since Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing took his own life and left his legions of friends and fans with just memories.

    Hong Kong is hosting a number of events dedicated to Cheung’s legacy — from the Hong Kong International Film Festival’s screening of his film “Rouge” yesterday, to the 2013 Love Journey Leslie Cheung 10th Anniversary Commemorative Concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Center on Tuesday and “The Art of Leslie Cheung’s Movie Images” exhibition being staged at the Hong Kong Central Library until April 8.

    These events will offer fans a chance to reflect the man universally known as Gor Gor (“Elder Brother”), to hear from those who were close to him, and to enjoy once again the work that he left behind.

    Music producer Clarence Hui Yuen first met Cheung in the 1980s — “at the height of his career” — and worked with the artist in the studio and on the production team which put together a series of concerts which would be sold out for weeks on end.

    “His pop idol stage was very different to when he returned from retirement,” said Hui, referring to the period between 1990 and 1995, when Cheung walked away from music — and from Hong Kong.

    “He really thought he would never sing again. But after living in Vancouver for a while he realized his passion for music had never died. He had felt tormented by the media and some fans of other artists. But when he came back he had lost that pop-idol aura and his spirit became more like a true musician. He had a magic in his lower register and in the way he delivered his lines like poetry. He could sing with true emotion. He was like a breath of fresh air,” Hui said.

    Film director Peter Chan Ho-sun worked with Cheung on the 1994 production “He’s a Woman, She’s a Man” and remembered an actor at the height of his powers. The role of a music industry power broker in that film earned Cheung a nomination in the best-actor category at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

    “When I first worked with Leslie, he was already a major movie star,” said Chan. “He was always very accurate in his moves and his techniques. In his delivery of a scene he would set the pace for the camera and for the other actors, which was a great help for a director. I told him he would make a great director.”

    Cinematographer Christopher Doyle, under the direction of Wong Kar-wai, captured some of Cheung’s most memorable roles. He said it was obvious Cheung was a natural, from beginning to end.

    It was such talent that also drew fans towards Cheung the singer.

    Ginice Chow Ling-ling, of the Red Mission HK and Leslie Cheung Artist Studies which are hosting events to mark the anniversary of Cheung’s death, said she became aware of the entertainer in the 1980s. “I first bought his second album, chipping in the money with my friend,” she said.

    “My friend got the cover and I got the record. She liked his looks and I liked his voice and the way he presented himself on stage. He was young, he was energetic and was way different from the other, more conservative Chinese singers of his time. A lot of people were attracted to his aesthetic, to just the way that he moved,” Chow said.(SD-Agencies)