Renowned food critic Chua Lam has died at the age of 83, according to an announcement on his Facebook page on Friday.
Chua, who was born in Singapore, spent most of his life in Hong Kong, where he built a career in the city’s entertainment and culinary scenes as a movie producer, writer, and food critic.
He passed away at Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital on Wednesday.
“In accordance with [Chua’s] wishes, and to avoid disturbing family and friends, no ceremony will be held. The body has been cremated,” the Chinese-language post read.
“We thank everybody for their concern for Mr Chua Lam,” it added.
Born in 1941, Chua left Singapore for Japan when he was 16 to study film. He worked for Hong Kong film company Shaw Brothers Studio there and later also spent time in New York, Seoul, India, and Nepal, according to his biography.
He moved to Hong Kong in 1963 at the age of 22, working as a production manager for Shaw Brothers Studio. Around a decade later, he joined local film company Golden Harvest, where he produced films for actor Jackie Chan.
Chua ventured into the food industry in the 1990s, becoming a prominent food critic and host of cooking shows.
In 2020, he started a YouTube channel called ChuaLam ColorfulWorld, where he posted food review videos of restaurants in Hong Kong.
Chua was active on Facebook until April 2023, when he posted on his page that he was recovering from a fractured leg. It was his last update before the post announcing his death on Friday.
