It’s been 10 years since he died but Huang Wenyong is still very much alive in the memories of his daughter. In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao on Feb 23, the late actor’s daughter, Nicole Ng, shared that she can’t wait to tell her newborn son stories of his grandfather.
“I’ll tell my son how much grandpa would love him if he was still alive,” Nicole Ng said.
The 32-year-old gave birth to her son Dhayton in January.
Wenyong died of lymphoma at age 60 on April 20, 2013, which was also the eve of Star Awards. He was given the Honorary TV Award posthumously that year and is currently the only artiste to have ever received this accolade.
Delivering a speech at the Star Awards ceremony, Nicole had said: “Although my father is no longer alive, I feel that the distance between us has grown shorter because he now lives on in our hearts.”
Speaking to the Chinese daily last month during her confinement, she recalled the story of how her father came to Singapore from Malaysia to find a job.
He had only brought two pairs of pants, two shirts and $50 with him, Nicole Ng said.
If Wenyong was still alive, she added: “My son would’ve become my father’s number one darling, and I’d be relegated to second place.”
He also would have nagged her to no end, she joked.
“He would tell me not to do this, not to do that, and that it would be better to do things a certain way,” Nicole said.
She also shared the different circumstances in daily life that trigger memories of Wenyong.
“When talking about the past with my brother and cousin, we would also talk about my father and the humorous things he did,” Nicole said.
“Also, when I walk into restaurants we had gone to in the past which I’ve not been to in a long time, or hear music that he liked, I’d also end up thinking of him.”
But Wenyong lives on in more than just memories — he’s also remembered through the shows that he’s acted in.
Aside from the repeat telecast of his dramas, streaming platforms have also helped in retaining the veteran actor’s works, Nicole Ng said.
Mystery (1988), The Golden Pillow (1995), highlights of Don’t Worry, Be Happy (1996 to 2002), Homerun (2003), Just in Singapore (2008) and It’s a Great, Great World (2011) are currently available on Netflix.
Nicole and her brother also told Zaobao that they still keep newspaper clippings of their late father as well as the awards that he had received in Star Awards.
Fulfilling her mother’s wishes
Their mother and Wenyong’s wife, Teh Kim Hua, died in March 2021 at the age of 65. She was able to see her daughter get married, which was one of Nicole’s greatest wishes.
Nicole registered her marriage with her boyfriend of four years, Aakash Goda, in December 2019.
She said: “My mother was relieved when she saw that I was married… her health has never been the best and she was already unwell at the time.
“Back then, my in-laws urged my husband to propose to me quickly so that my mother could witness our marriage. We prepared for the wedding in just three months.
“If we had waited until after the pandemic, my mother would not have been able to see me get married.”