She never left

There has never been a Hong Kong star quite like Mui. Her death, at age 40 on Dec 30, 2003, was made all the more heartbreaking because it was the proverbial last straw, coming as it did at the end of what had been Hong Kong's annus horribilis — a year that saw the city wracked by the SARS epidemic, and the loss of Mui's great friend and fellow pop icon Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing by suicide.

Mui's rise — from singing at amusement parks, followed by clubs, and on to filling stadiums and producing a string of hits — was a quintessential "Hong Kong story". She was an inspiration to people from all walks of life. On her passing, tears were openly shed in just about every home in Hong Kong.

Wong had heard the songs immortalized by Mui while growing up, although she didn't know the full story of the pop icon. She said she was aware of the importance of approaching the role with sensitivity and respect from the outset.