Who is Bai Yan? Retired Channel 8 actor passes away at 100 years old

According to a report by 8 Days, retired actor Bai Yan, who just turned 100 years old last May 2019, passed away last August 19. He died at around 3:00 in the morning.

His recent birthday party was celebrated at Yummy Palace restaurant, and was attended by more than a hundred guests. Celebrities like Christopher Lee, Aileen Tan, Pan Lingling, Chen Xiuhuan, and even Zoe Tay joined in to celebrate his life and career. But who is Bai Yan?

Who is Bai Yan?

More commonly known as Bai Yan-shu or Uncle Bai Yan, he was born in China in 1920. He joined a Chinese dance troupe, and arrived in Singapore. Well-versed in acrobatics and magic tricks, he was also a good actor for skits. He married Ye Qing, also an actress, who was already one of Singapore’s first movie stars. They had three children together. His wife had passed away in 2016 at the age of 94.

At the old age of 65, he made his debut on television, where he played in a lot of period dramas during the 1980’s. He was invited to join the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation as an actor and played in Channel 8 classics such as We Are Family. It’s common knowledge in the industry that the show was written for him and his character.

Bai Yan’s 100th birthday bash

The event was held at the Chinese restaurant Yummy Palace and was attended by more than a hundred guests, among them some of the hottest stars of their own generations.

One of the many guests who posted about the birthday bash was Chen Xihuan, who had a lot to say about the party and the man of the hour, whom she admired a great deal despite not being able to work with him.

According to Uncle Bai Yan, he didn’t ask for presents from his party guests and said that he didn’t need. He still received ang pows from celebrities such as Zoe Tay, Aileen, and Lingling.

According to another report from 8 Days, Bai Yan’s grand daughter was the person responsible for his welfare at home. The actor’s family was also present at the birthday party.

A buffet lunch was served to all the guests, but Bai Yan didn’t arrive until after the people were eating. While the retired star didn’t recognize or remember a lot of the artists who attended his party, he was glad to see so many people at his party.

Header image from Zoe Tay and Chen Xihuan Instagram account