Celebrities often hold a special place in people’s hearts, and it is those who burn the brightest and fastest who are remembered the longest.

While most Gen Z very likely have not heard of her, Anita Mui was a household name with older Malaysians, fondly remembered and forever missed after she left too early.

Called “The Madonna of the East” by some and “Queen of Cantopop” by others, she was a class-act whose talent remains undisputed to this day.

But behind the glamour and lights of stardom was a life filled with heartbreak and hardship.

With a biopic on her life currently playing in cinemas nationwide, now is a good time as ever to learn about the star whose light was sadly snuffed out too soon.

Born to a Hong Kong couple in 1963, Mui lost her father at a young age and her mother, a manager of street performers, put her daughters to work quickly.

This became the first time that Mui would perform on stage and it would not be her last.

Because of her work commitments, she performed poorly in school and even worse, was ostracised by her fellow students who saw her as little more than a street urchin.

With academic life seemingly leading her nowhere, Mui dropped out of school at 13, and focussed on singing instead.

At 18, she joined a singing contest organised by TVB, a Hong Kong television broadcast company. A natural contralto, she wowed audiences with her rendition of Paula Tsui’s “The Season of the Wind”, and won the contest.

Success would follow in the years to come, with her 1984 song “The Years Flow Like Water” being an award-winning song.

Iconic albums like 1986’s “Temptress” and 1987’s “Flaming Red Lips” would cement her position in the Hong Kong entertainment scene.

She also grew famous for her extravagant live performances and concerts, changing costumes throughout, with each outfit more outrageous and gorgeous than the last.

Mui was pushed into the international spotlight in 1988, when she performed live at the opening ceremony of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Her fame spread beyond Hong Kong as she grew a fanbase among Cantonese communities across the world.

She was more than just a singer. She acted as well, earning the Golden Horse’s Best Actress award for her role in the 1987 Hong Kong film ‘Rouge’.

Throughout her film career, she would star alongside many equally famous male film stars including Tony Leung, Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow and Chow Yun-Fat.

Despite her worldwide successes, Mui remained humble, and in 1990, decided against accepting any further awards, arguing that they ought to go to industry newbies instead.

She was also not above using her voice for good causes, being notably pro-democracy throughout her life and helping activists escape China after the Tiananmen Square incident.

Despite her vow initially never to perform in China after the incident, she did perform in Beijing to raise funds for victims of a catastrophic flood in 1991.

When Hong Kong suffered the SARS outbreak in 2003, Mui promptly organised a charity fundraising concert to help families affected by the epidemic.

She was under constant media scrutiny, with rumours constantly swirling about relationships and romances she may or may not be having.

“All men are unfaithful. I’d rather be with a handsome cheater than an ugly one,” she famously once said.

Mui had several relationships with high profile Hong Kong actors, none of which amounted to anything. Interestingly, one of her most famous relationships, with Hong Kong celebrity Leslie Cheung, was platonic.

Rising to fame at around the same time, Mui and Cheung worked closely in both film and music throughout their careers.

Close friends to the very end, they often made surprise appearances at each other’s concerts, and occasionally performed together on stage.

With the dawn of the new millennium, though, came tragedies.

First, the death of her sister, Ann, who succumbed to cervical cancer in 2000. And on April 1, 2003, Mui and the rest of Hong Kong read with shock and sadness of the news of Cheung’s suicide from depression.

According to some reports, Mui was so heartbroken, she locked herself at home and tearfully chanted Buddhist mantras for her friend’s soul.

The final tragedy however, was yet to hit. On Sept 5 that same year, she announced to the public that she had cervical cancer.

However, refusing to withdraw from the limelight to fight her battle in private, she organised a final series of concerts, her swansong.

Her last performance was particularly poignant as the feverish and dying Mui, garbed in a wedding dress, spoke of her sadness at never finding love or being able to raise a family.

Mui said, “It’s every woman’s dream to get married and start a family. I thought I would’ve been married before 30 and have a baby by 32, but I have nothing. What do I have? You guys.”

After ensuring her family would be looked after and her wealth kept in a charity trust fund, Mui passed away on Dec 30 at the age of 40, ending her lifelong marriage to stage life.