Veteran actor Kenneth Tsang has died while in a COVID-19 quarantine hotel in Hong Kong. He was 86.
Tsang was best known internationally for his roles in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day, John Woo's The Killer in 1989, Rush Hour 2 in 2001 starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, and 1998′s The Replacement Killers alongside Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino.
Chan has paid tribute to Tsang in a statement, calling him "an amazing role model".
"Throughout my career, I have admired a lot of people, and respected senior Kenneth K. Tsang was one of them," Chan said.
"His image, acting skills, respect and professionalism has earned him the status as an 'evergreen tree' in the industry (i.e. making regular appearances on film and tv) … I was so shocked after hearing the news, and deeply saddened.
"We'll miss you. May you Rest In Peace!"
Tsang's manager, Andrew Ooi, told Variety: "Kenneth was not only a wonderfully gifted actor, but he was also a dear friend whom I respected and I could turn to for advice when needed.
"It was a joy and honour to watch him work and bring the many characters he played to life.
"I'm saddened and I will miss him."
Tsang reportedly found on hotel floor
Tsang had been undergoing seven days of quarantine after returning from Singapore on Monday and was found collapsed on the floor of his Hong Kong hotel room by staff on Wednesday, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper and other media.
No cause of death was given and the paper said he had tested negative for the virus and had no underlying medical conditions.
In all, Tsang had some 237 acting credits, mainly in Hong Kong film and television productions, and especially in detective and martial arts movies, according to his IMDb page.
Born in Shanghai in 1935, Tsang began acting after obtaining an architecture degree at the University of California, Berkeley, making his debut in 1955.
In 1969 alone, he was credited in more than 20 movies and continued working up to the time of his death.
Tsang was married three times and had a son with his first wife, Lan Di, and a daughter with his second wife, Barbara Tang.
Hong Kong is dealing with a renewed outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and requires all inbound travellers to undergo quarantine for up to 14 days.
ABC/AP
