Leslie Cheung: five lasting images of the singer and actor on 16th anniversary of his death

Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing as Yuddy in Wong Kar-wai's 1991 film “Days of Being Wild”, the role that won him his lone best actor prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards in a career in which he appeared in 62 films. Photo: SCMP

Sixteen years ago today Canto-pop idol and Hong Kong cinema icon Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing leapt to his death from his room at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hong Kong. His talent is still dearly missed by his fans worldwide.

To mark the anniversary we revisit five enduring images of the star – in some of his best film roles, as Cheng Dieyi in Farewell My Concubine, Ho Po-wing in Happy Together and Yuddy in Days of Being Wild – and on stage, as winner of an amateur singing contest at the start of his career to one of his last concerts at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Leslie Cheung holds his trophy as winner of the Asian Amateur Singing Contest in May 1977. Photo: SCMP

Cheung right) with Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (left), and Carina Lau Ka-ling (rear) on the set of Wong Kar-wai's film “Days of Being Wild”. Photo: SCMP

Cheung as Cheng Dieyi in Chinese director Chen Kaige’s 1993 film Farewell My Concubine.

Leslie Cheung (left) and Tony Leung Chiu-wai in Wong Kar-wai’s 1997 film Happy Together.

Cheung in concert at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in March 2000, three years before his death.