Despite being one of the biggest names in Asian music, Hong Kong Heavenly King Jacky Cheung, 62, is very private when it comes to his family, including his younger sister and older brother, Cheung Hok Chi.
Recently, veteran Taiwanese media personality Xu Shengmei revealed on a talk show that Hok Chi was compulsive gambler, just like his dad.
Jacky and Hok Chi were exposed to gambling at a young age and over time, they too became hooked.
Jacky quit gambling in the ‘80s after entering showbiz, but not Hok Chi. He gambled excessively and would often rack up huge debts.
As the brothers look very much alike, when Hok Chi visited casinos in Macau, people immediately recognised that he is Jacky’s relative and would readily lend him large sums of money to gamble.
Over the years, Jacky had repeatedly helped his brother pay off his debts.
The last straw came in 1994 when Hok Chi owed more than HK$7mil (S$1.22mil).
When the singer refused to help, Hok Chi accused him of being heartless and made their mum kneel and plead with Jacky.
The star later relented but declared that he would no longer be responsible for Hok Chi’s debts and severed ties with him.
The brothers have since been estranged, only meeting at their dad’s funeral in 2007.
Photos: Unusual Entertainment, Sohu