KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran Hong Kong actress Violet Lee Ying, 70, has died after suffering a fall at her home in Vancouver, Canada last Sunday.
Singapore entertainment portal 8 Days reported yesterday that fellow actress Gigi Wong Shuk Yee, who is also in Vancouver, confirmed the tragic news.
"Violet's sudden death comes as a shock to friends and family as she has always been in good health," said Wong.
Wong added that Lee was still fine when they spoke a few days ago and had even arranged to meet up.
Lee, who was in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year, did not seek medical treatment after falling last weekend.
"She told her friends it was just a sprain and nothing serious. We told her we wanted to see her, but she said she was fine, and when we asked her out, she refused," said Wong.
When Lee's friends were unable to reach her on Sunday, they went to her house and found her feeling nauseous. Her speech was unclear and there were bruises on her face.
They immediately called the ambulance and contacted her friend, veteran actress Angie Cheung.
Lee became unconscious and paramedics performed CPR on her for more than half an hour, before rushing her to hospital. Unfortunately, she could not be saved.
Lee's two daughters, who were then in Hong Kong, immediately flew home.
Lee began acting in the 1970s and graduated from the same TVB training class as veteran stars Mary Hon and Damian Lau.
She starred in numerous TV dramas and is best known for her role in 1994's Class Of Distinction alongside Jessica Hsuan, Leon Lai and Louis Koo.
In 1984, she married businessman Shen Haijian and migrated to Canada.
The couple, who have two daughters, divorced after eight years.
Lee's elder daughter Winnie Shum, 38, followed in her acting footsteps. She joined TVB after competing in the 2004 Miss Hong Kong pageant, and later quit show business to become a flight attendant.
In 2003, Lee returned to Hong Kong and made her acting comeback.