Michelle Sima (司馬燕), a former Hong Kong actress and beauty queen, lost her battle to stomach cancer on January 10, 2015. She was 51 years old. A close family friend shared that Michelle was taken to the hospital after she was found unconscious early Saturday morning. She later died peacefully in her sleep. Michelle launched her showbiz career in 1980 when she competed in the Miss Hong Kong Pageant. She was one of the top choices to play Huang Rong in the TVB wuxia classic Legend of the Condor Heroes <射鵰英雄傳>, but ultimately lost that role to Barbara Yung (翁美玲). She starred in many Hong Kong films, where she came to be known as one of Hong Kong’s hottest sex symbols. In 1996, she married Indonesian Chinese businessman Togi Gouw (吳忠義) and retired from the film industry. She briefly managed the acting career of her eldest son Ian Gouw (吳澋滔), who became a famous child star after starring alongside Aaron Kwok (郭富城) in the 2006 film After This Our Exile <父子>. Ian won Best Supporting Actor and Best Newcomer at the 2006 Hong Kong Film Awards when he was only nine years old. After news broke of Michelle’s passing, many friends mourned her death. Her husband Togi was in denial and refused to release an official statement about her passing. Reportedly, Togi wanted to keep the news of her death as low profile as possible. As Togi is not part of the entertainment industry, he finds it unnecessary to share his family’s bereavement to the public. Michelle was optimistic, courageous, and prepared when facing her battle with cancer. Diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2012, Michelle sold her properties in Mainland China to pay for her treatment fees, which cost at least $10 million HKD. As a result, her family did not have to suffer from any financial losses. While Michelle was hospitalized, she refused visits from her friends. She did not want her friends to see an uglier, weaker side of her. Instead, she wanted them to remember how she was when she was still beautiful and healthy. Last December, Michelle returned home to celebrate Christmas with her family and took her last family portrait with her husband and two sons, Ian and Brian. Michelle once expressed that she wanted her family, friends, and relatives to hold a big party after she died. She did not want people to cry in her memory, but to have fun, and to remember her most beautiful and happiest moments. Creds: stheadline
