The family of Anita Mui, also known as "Mei Yan Fong," the late Cantonese music superstar dubbed the “Madonna of Asia,” has called on the public to provide any leads after her urn went missing from the columbarium at Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, Hong Kong, since July. Police stated that no suspects have been arrested yet.
The family of Anita Mui, "Mei Yan Fong," a renowned Cantonese singer in Hong Kong, issued a statement urging the public to help locate her urn after it disappeared from the columbarium at Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. The incident occurred about three months ago, and the family said police investigations have made no progress, causing them great distress.
A Hong Kong police spokesperson revealed that on 18 July, authorities were informed that an item stored inside the temple on Lantau Island might be missing. The case has been classified as a police assistance request and is under investigation by the Lantau District Crime Unit. No arrests have been made so far.
Mui’s family released a public appeal on Saturday (10 Oct), which would have been the late singer’s 63rd birthday this year. Mui passed away from cervical cancer in 2003 at age 40, after achieving huge success in music with millions of records sold, earning her the title “Madonna of Asia.”
The statement, also reposted via the Instagram account of the Anita Mui International Fan Club, one of her major fan groups, said that after three months, police investigations remain stalled. It added that the incident has caused great physical and emotional pain for the family, especially as they recently suffered the loss of Mui’s mother, compounding their grief.
According to the statement, a fan discovered the urn missing when paying respects to Mui on 18 July. The urn was kept in a niche at the Po Lin Monastery columbarium, located on the Ngong Ping plateau on Lantau Island, home to the famous Tian Tan Buddha statue.
The fan noticed that the screws on the niche door panel were loose and the urn inside was gone, and informed Mui’s family, who then reported the matter to the police. The statement also said the family did not place a portrait of Mui at the niche to keep the matter low-profile and private.
Police said they will continue to coordinate with the family and relevant parties, and will follow up on the case appropriately. Po Lin Monastery declined to comment on the incident, stating the case is still under investigation.
Another fan group called Mui Nation, with about 1,000 members, expressed shock over the urn’s disappearance and called on the temple management to review security measures and clarify what happened. They said the incident is hard to accept, breaches moral standards, and deeply hurts those who love and respect Mui.
Sources said the family has not received any ransom calls demanding the urn’s return, and there have been no reports of other urns missing from the same columbarium.
The news has caused sadness and anger among fans. One fan wrote on social media about the deep pain, noting that Mui endured many trials and suffering in life, but even after her passing, terrible things still happen. Another fan condemned the theft as a shameless act.
Patrick Tam Yiu-man, a singer and actor who was once a student of Mui, posted on the platform Threads hoping the police would recover the urn soon and questioned why there was such a lapse in security.
Mui’s family expressed hope that the urn will be found and the ashes returned soon, appealing to the singer’s friends, fans who visited to pay respects, and the general public who may have information about the incident.
The family asked anyone who visited the columbarium on or before 18 July and noticed anything unusual to contact authorities promptly. They also requested that drivers in the area share dashcam footage if it might assist the investigation.
This incident follows a November last year crackdown in which police arrested a man suspected of stealing an urn from a columbarium in Sha Tin district. The urn held the ashes of Liu Jialiang, a legendary kung fu master, and was reportedly stolen between May and August of the previous year.
/sourceSCMP