Socialite and founder of Shanghai Tang fashion house dead at 63
dpa
HONG KONG (dpa)- Sir David Tang, founder of the Hong Kong luxury fashion house Shanghai Tang and a socialite befriended by Hollywood stars and the British royal family alike, has died at age 63 after a prolonged illness.
"I have recently learnt earlier this evening from Lady Tang, the great man, Sir David Tang passed this evening. RIP," tweeted Ewan Venters, chief executive of the Fortnum and Mason retailer, late Tuesday.
There was an outpouring of condolences on Twitter from the business community, as well as from celebrities such as actor Russell Crowe.
"RIP dear friend Sir David Tang, the privilege was mine. Witty, charming, intellectual, salacious , hilarious, loving and funny as f***," tweeted Crowe.
Tang was the larger-than-life founder of the exclusive China Clubs in Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore, as well as the China Tang restaurant chain. He was a Financial Times columnist and the sole distributor of Cuban cigars in Canada and the Asia Pacific, as well as an honorary consul for Cuba in Hong Kong. He was the grandson of famous philanthropist Tang Shiu Kin.
Tang was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 in recognition of his charity work.
He threw a farewell party for his friends at the Dorchester Hotel in London in August, announcing that his doctor had said he only had a month or two to live.
He wrote in The Times: "As I have been given by my politburo of medical experts just a month or two to last, I thought the best way to go would be to give a party where we can see each other at least one time more, rather than at a memorial service where I shall be dead as a dodo."
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"RIP dear friend Sir David Tang, the privilege was mine. Witty, charming, intellectual, salacious , hilarious, loving and funny as f***," tweeted Crowe.
Tang was the larger-than-life founder of the exclusive China Clubs in Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore, as well as the China Tang restaurant chain. He was a Financial Times columnist and the sole distributor of Cuban cigars in Canada and the Asia Pacific, as well as an honorary consul for Cuba in Hong Kong. He was the grandson of famous philanthropist Tang Shiu Kin.
Tang was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 in recognition of his charity work.
He threw a farewell party for his friends at the Dorchester Hotel in London in August, announcing that his doctor had said he only had a month or two to live.
He wrote in The Times: "As I have been given by my politburo of medical experts just a month or two to last, I thought the best way to go would be to give a party where we can see each other at least one time more, rather than at a memorial service where I shall be dead as a dodo."
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