CNN
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Actress Cheng Pei-pei, finest recognized for her martial arts roles in movies equivalent to “Come Drink with Me” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” has died. She was 78.
“It’s with a heavy coronary heart that we announce that the rumors are true. Our mom, Cheng Pei Pei, handed away peacefully at residence surrounded by her family members on July 17,” her household wrote in an announcement posted on Facebook Friday.
They shared that she was dwelling with a uncommon, progressive illness referred to as corticobasal degeneration (CBD). The situation causes an growing variety of mind cells to grow to be broken and die over time, inflicting worsening issues with motion, speech, reminiscence and swallowing, in keeping with the UK’s National Health Service website. Presently, no therapy has been proven to cease its development.
“She selected to not make this information public in order that she may take care of her situation in personal and spend her remaining time together with her kids and grandchildren,” the assertion reads.
“To all her associates, colleagues, and followers, thanks for all of the assist you confirmed her over time. Our mother wished to be remembered by how she was: the legendary Queen of Martial Arts… a flexible, award-winning actress whose movie and tv profession spanned over six a long time, not solely in Asia however internationally as properly,” the assertion continues.
Born in Shanghai in 1946, Cheng educated in ballet whereas in school earlier than shifting to Hong Kong as a teen.
She then enrolled in a performing arts coaching course at movie manufacturing firm Shaw Brothers Studio, a pioneer of the kung fu movie style, in keeping with the web site Hong Kong Film Database (HKMDB).
This led Cheng to ascertain her performing profession in Shaw Brothers movies, equivalent to 1964 historic drama “The Final Girl of Shang,” through which she performed a dancer, and 1964 romance “Lover’s Rock” (“Qing ren shi”).
Her breakthrough function got here two years later, when she starred as a talented martial artist in motion crime basic “Come Drink with Me.”
Cheng later married, shifting to the US in 1971. She and her husband had 4 kids however finally divorced.
She moved again to Hong Kong within the Nineteen Nineties, in keeping with HKMDB, earlier than starring within the Oscar-winning 2000 motion journey “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” through which she performed villainous fighter Jade Fox.
“I’m at all times up for a battle,” Cheng instructed Time Out magazine in 2015. “It’s exhilarating. I’ve at all times been an lively individual, so once I obtained an opportunity to behave out battle scenes, I used to be pleased to oblige.”
Her remaining function was the matchmaker within the 2020 live-action film “Mulan.”