Former Hong Kong actress, Sheree Lo (羅明珠), passed away on May 27, 2016 due to a sudden heart attack. She was merely 47 years old.
Previously known as Bonnie in her early career, Sheree had joined the
entertainment industry when she was only 15 years old. Sheree is best
remembered for her role in the popular 1980s film franchise, Happy Ghost <開心鬼>, along with In Rachel Lee (李麗珍), Sandy Lamb (林姗姗), May Lo (羅美薇), Fennie Yuen (袁潔瑩), and Charine Chan (陳
加玲). Despite their different personalities and images, the film was a
hit and spawned several subsequent sequels. The popular young starlets
were unanimously referred to as the “Happy Girls”.
Sheree partook in only four films since her debut before leaving the
entertainment industry to pursue a college education in Canada. After
graduating from college in 1993, she returned to Hong Kong and led a
successful career in finance. However, Sheree’s passion for acting
remained, and she returned to the big screen soon after. Despite being
cast in big budget films starring alongside Andy Lau (劉德華), Simon Yam (任達華), and Stephen Chow (周星馳), Sheree only landed small guest roles.
Unable to regain her popularity in film and with a thirst for
knowledge, Sheree traveled to Beijing in 2006 and spent two years taking
courses to obtain a MBA in Senior Management. During a brief interview
in 2012, she shared that she is still currently working in the financial
industry. The Happy Ghost star was also focusing on dieting and exercising to prepare for a comeback in a web-based drama before her untimely death.
Friends in Shock
Sheree’s death came as a shock for good friend and producer Raymond Wong (黃
百鳴), who had only visited Sheree ten days ago, citing that she appeared
to be in good health, was very sociable, and did not show any signs of
illness. Raymond said, “The Sheree I know doesn’t smoke, drink, nor
[hang out at clubs].” Asked if Sheree’s death may have been triggered by
her excess dieting, Raymond said, “I’m not sure, but I know that she
planned to film an Internet drama.”
Asked if Sheree had consumed weight-loss pills, good friend Leila Chow
(周美鳳) said, “She mentioned taking dieting pills in the past, and I
advised her to exercise instead! But Sheree told me not to worry, as she
doesn’t take the pills often.”
“Happy Girls” Charine and Fennie had last seen Sheree at Raymond’s
birthday party in April. Charine recalled, “I was shocked by the news of
her death. She was a very cheerful and chatty person, who loved to
laugh.” Fennie said, “It’s so sudden! It’s very hard to accept the news!
The last time I saw her, she was very energetic and beautiful. We even
agreed to meet up again next time. I don’t know what had happened! It’s a
great loss! Many condolences to Sheree’s family!”
