Leslie Cheung's final words
This Friday would be the late Leslie Cheung's eighth death anniversary.
Ming Pao Weekly managed to interview interior designer Alfred Mok - who was the last person to meet Leslie before his tragic death.
Leslie jumped from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to his death at 6.40pm on April 1, 2003. Before that, he had lunch with Mok at a restaurant and they talked for three hours. Leslie had spaghetti and his appetite was pretty good, Mok revealed.
"He was very nervous, his hands were shaking," Mok said, adding Leslie also took down his ID number. Mok later found out that Leslie left a small present for him in the will, but the latter refused to reveal what it was. It turned out that the singer-actor had planned his death and had booked a hotel room before meeting Mok.
During lunch, Leslie asked Mok what would he do if he was very sick and could not be cured. Mok said he would take sleeping pills. "You are wrong! To die, the most direct way is to jump off a building," Leslie said.
Mok said Leslie had seen many doctors for his mental illness, but they gave him conflicting advice, making the singer more confused. He also said Leslie had once blurted out and said: "The hotel's window cannot be opened," but Mok did not understand what he had meant then.
After lunch, Leslie sent Mok back to his office. Before leaving, he said: "You don't have to call me anymore."
Suspecting something wrong, Mok telephoned Leslie's sister to check on him. However, they could not stop the singer from ending his own life.
Leslie in Farewell My Concubine
Mok said Leslie was planning to direct a film about what happened in Qingdao in 1939. "He had been hoping to become a film director… He got the crew of Farewell My Concubine to help him. Everything was going smoothly, but later he felt that the script and the scenes did not quite match and after the investor did not give him the money, Leslie began to feel depressed."
He said Leslie was also recording his album at that time and also felt that his voice was not perfect. Leslie was under great pressure, and due to that he had gastric reflux and could not sleep well, Mok revealed.
Published Mar 28 2011
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