Hong Kong idol Cheung found dead

Hong Kong actor and singer Leslie Cheung is reported to have leapt to his death from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hong Kong's central district yesterday. Police found a note in his room saying he was suffering from "emotional problems".

The youngest of 10 children, Cheung, 46, first became famous as a Canto-pop singer in the 80s, amassing legions of fans across south-east Asia. His big movie break came when he starred opposite Chow Yun-Fat in John Woo's A Better Tomorrow. Critical acclaim followed when he played a gay opera singer in Chen Kaige's 1993 classic Farewell My Concubine.

It was Cheung's cool, measured intensity, coupled with a rare willingness to take on homosexual roles that set him apart from his peers. His most successful collaborations were with director Wong Kar-Wai, with whom he made Happy Together, Days of Being Wild and Ashes of Time.

Yesterday Wong issued a statement mourning the "tremendous loss". He added: "Leslie used to jokingly call himself a legend. We, too, called him by this name. But no one had ever imagined a legend would be consummated this way."