Artistes React to Death of Former TVB Executive Michael Tao, Louisa So and Bernice Liu were filming yesterday for "Harmony, Taste & Passion" and were asked for their response to the recent news about former TVB executive Wong Ka Leung's death after committing suicide brought on by severe depression. Louisa felt that it was a great pity and so sudden, saying: "This illness is so fearsome, so painful that people choose to die. The condition is treatable though, you can go and see the doctor and take medication for it." Michael did not know Mr Wong very well, but he felt very sorry for him and hopes he will rest in peace. As he does not know much about the condition, he was not in a position to comment and as for the massive emotional ups and downs as an artiste, he says that he will release this by going to play badminton. During his lifetime, Mr Wong was at one point responsible for the planning of the Miss Hong Kong pageant for many years and when Anne Heung, Heidi Chu and Fiona Yuen heard the news, they all felt very saddened. As for Miss Hong Kong minder Rosa Chan, who worked with Mr Wong closely, she says she did see him a few months ago and although she knew he was suffering from depression, she did suggest he should try to look at things from a different perspective. When asked about the memorable times that she had spent with Mr Wong, she could not hold back the tears. Anne says that when she had some problems with her family and career, she cried for two nights and this helped her to release the tension. Alvina Kong was hand-picked by Mr Wong for her role of 'Maria' in the "Enjoy Yourself Tonight" programmes and she has known him for twenty years, but she did not know him very well. She hopes that his family will have a quiet time to accept the news. She feels that there are too many people with this illness now and she hopes that they will find a way to treat it. Winnie Young once took part in programmes that Mr Wong was responsible for and she feels that his death was very sudden. Mr Wong gave her the impression that he was very easy going and happy, so she feels that his departure is a great shame. Mimi Lo was very shocked to hear the news and felt very uncomfortable. She has known him from when she first entered the industry and he was always smiling and was never angry, so you couldn't tell that he was ill, especially when he would go out with a big group of colleagues. She knows that after leaving TVB, Mr Wong worked as an executive at i-Cable, so she believes that it may be work stress that pushed him to the limit. She feels that in this industry, the pressure is very great and there are rapid changes between highs and lows, so you have to be able to put things into perspective. Sometimes city people don't know if they are suffering from depression and so you need to look out for any unusual behaviour. Source: Takungpao
