A wedding day
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By May Seah, TODAY |
SINGAPORE: While Christopher Lee copes with the loss of his father
in Malacca, his fiancee, MediaCorp artiste Fann Wong, wishes he
didn't have to go through it without her love and support.
At the age of 71, Christopher's father, Lee Soo Kim, suffered a
heart attack and died on Tuesday morning.
When TODAY spoke to Fann over the telephone on Wednesday, the
actress sounded distraught and found it difficult to phrase her
sentences clearly. She said that she very much wants to be at the
wake in Malacca, but is tied up filming the upcoming blockbuster
Channel 8 drama, "The Ultimatum", production for which is running
behind schedule.
"I tried applying for urgent leave, but ... I have filming
schedules back to back. I want to go up there and support him, but
I can't just go MIA (missing in action) on production. Right now
it's very tough for me because my whole family is in Malacca, and
it just breaks my heart that I can't be there for him, too."
The funeral will be held on Saturday, but Fann doesn't know if she
will be able to attend.
Earlier on Wednesday, Christopher had told TODAY that both he and
his brother are taking care of the funeral arrangements, but that
he felt a great sense of responsibility as the oldest son.
"He gave us a lot of freedom," said the 37-year-old actor of his
father. "He didn't try to constrain us or control our lives - what
we wanted to study in school, what sport we wanted to play or where
we wanted to go. He gave us the scope to be independent."
Fann remembers Mr Lee as a "quiet man, but he was a very sweet
person".
"Every time I visited their house in Malacca, his dad would be the
first one to open the gate and welcome us. You could tell from the
joy on his face that he was really happy to see us," said the
38-year-old star of "The Wedding Game".
"When he was unconscious in the hospital, I asked Chris to let me
talk to him on the phone. Chris was telling me that even though he
was unconscious, whenever I spoke to him, he would have some
reaction."
Fann's future father-in-law had been eagerly awaiting her and
Christopher's wedding day, but, tragically, the event will take
place months too late for him to witness. About whether the older
Lee's death will affect her September wedding plans, Fann said:
"I'm not thinking about that right now because it just wouldn't be
right."
Choking back tears, Fann barely managed to tell TODAY: "I'm sure
Chris wanted to have his dad watch him walk down the aisle with me.
And I'm sure his father always wanted to see his firstborn son get
married.
"It definitely will be something I'll regret on my wedding
day."
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainmentfeatures/view/408767/1/.html
