Roman Tam, known by the stage name Lo man (羅文), nickname Law Kee (蘿記) was a renowned cantopop singer. He is regarded as the "Godfather of Cantopop". In the far east, he is equivalent to the western world Frank Sinatra.

Career

Tam was seen as a cultural icon to Chinese communities around the world (including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and, later Mainland China). He had a string of hits in a career spanning 30 years. He was well-respected for his singing skills, his positive outlooks, and his insistence on correct pronunciations. He was also groundbreaking for being the first major Hong Kong singer to pose in drag and to pose in nude.

Having been born in Guangxi, China, he later immigrated to Hong Kong in 1962 at the age of 12. After forming a short-lived band known as Roman and the Four Steps, he became a contract singer under studios term at Television Broadcasts Limited. He briefly switched to Asia Television Ltd in the early 1990s.

During the 1990s he accepted many budding singers as his students. Some of which who became famous included Joey Yung and Ekin Cheng. One of the most well-known song he sung was the Below the Lion Rock, which is the title song of the TV series. Both the song and the TV series shares common theme about the lives of Hong Kong people.

Tam was unmarried. He died in Hong Kong in Queen Mary Hospital with liver cancer. The title of "Godfather of Cantopop" was confirmed in his obituary.

Collaborations

Roman Tam counts Jenny Tseng as his dearest friend and best partner. He recorded a series of duets with Jenny Tseng for the television drama hit "Legend of Condor Heroes." Jenny Tseng still pays tribute to Roman Tam during her concerts.

References

External links

• BBC News Obituary