Colleagues & Friends Shared Fond Memories of Aloysius Pang, Including How He Treated The Production Crew

Singapore has been in a sombre mood of late, and it’s not hard to figure out why. Just a few days ago, popular local actor Aloysius Pang had suffered serious injuries from a military training exercise over in New Zealand; and he didn’t manage to recover from it.

And I’m sure you’ve heard of the rest: Aloysius’ remains made their way back to Singapore, a wake was held and he was cremated yesterday (27 Jan) evening.

It’s hard to believe that such a fine, young man, whose potential seemed limitless, was prised from the arms of his family & friends so early. At the tender age of 28, it seems that he has only just started on his ‘journey’, and to cut it right there is just plain cruel, considering how he has plans for the future, and intentions to persist in self-improvement.

Indeed, one can’t help but bemoan the future Aloysius could have had, and after reading these personal accounts of family & friends, I can’t help but think:

What if?

Eulogies

From 1:30 p.m. on 27 Jan, family members, celebrities and media industry leaders took turns to speak in memory of Pang, in a session that spanned well over an hour. Aloysius’ older brother, Jefferson Pang, got the ball rolling before friends stepped up to the fore.

Here are their eulogies, presented in chronological order.

Jefferson Pang

According to Jefferson, his mother has always doted on Aloysius a lot. When Aloysius was just a child, his mother would always be there on set to accompany him and coach him on the script. And so when she saw Aloysius in the hospital in New Zealand for the first time, she was understandably taken aback with grief.

And it seems that the feelings are mutual, for Jefferson described his mother’s tears as Aloysius’ “kryptonite”. When Aloysius was injured, upon seeing his mother’s tears, Aloysius started crying as well, saying:

“Mum, don’t cry. If you cry, I’ll cry too and I’m in a lot of pain. In a few days, I will be ok and I will bring you to a New Zealand casino.”

His father, on the other hand, has always been proud of Aloysius and would follow his shows very closely.

As it is, the few days the family had spent in New Zealand was “especially tough”, and they’re still trying to get over it. What’s helping them, however, is the notion of remembering Aloysius for the kind of person he is, and the things he loved and gave.

“That will help us prolong his memory and that is what we want everybody to feel so too. He will be hard to forget and we will never want you guys to forget as well.”

Kym Ng

Mediacorp host and actress Kym Ng took over the mic from Jefferson, and started speaking favourably of the deceased actor.

Having worked twice with Aloysius, in which he played the role of her son both times, she revealed that they would joke with each other but he never crossed the line. One such example was that he never called her “Mum” outside of filming, as he didn’t want her to feel old.

When he realised that she liked table tennis, he played it with her, and when she got drunk during a gathering, he was the only one who entertained her, chatting for the entire night until dawn broke.

“I will miss you, Aloysius. I will miss your smile, your big eyes, and the gentleness in your voice when you talk. Farewell.”

Chen Shu Cheng

Chen started off by expressing that he treats everyone that he has met as a friend.

Yet the only one who walked into his heart, he revealed, was Aloysius.

“Some say that the old should not send off the young but I’m here today because I want to tell him that I can’t bear to let him go, my heart breaks for him and I will always remember him in my heart. I wish him a good journey.”

He also thanked Pang for the gift he just received 20 minutes ago, and at that point he turned around, looked at the late Pang and said that he would use it regularly. It’s unknown what he meant but I guess it’s for them to know.

Hong Hui Fang

Having known Pang when he was 12, she learnt from his mum that he was a smart, mentally agile and talented boy.

She recalled an incident Chen had previously shared as well, that Aloysius had bought aloe vera gel for all the seniors while they were filming in Bintan, as they were all sunburnt.

When Hong didn’t go out for lunch, he bought food for her, in case she got hungry. And when her child was in the rebellious phase, he told her not to worry and proffered to counsel and guide him.

“You are the child that every parent wants,” she once told him.

“Now that you are gone, I believe you are an angel, guarding your family and everyone around you. We will miss you. We all love you so much. We will forever remember you, your sunshine smile, positive character, it’s all in our hearts.”

As she broke into tears, she uttered: “Rest in peace, Aloy. Have a smooth journey ahead.”

Shane Pow

During his speech, Shane, one of the 8 Dukes of Caldecott Hill as well, recalled multiple memories of Pang and him together. And at the end, he expressed that Pang was a highly logical person, and encouraged everyone to not be sad.

“Angels won’t stay too long on earth, I hope everyone can give him the biggest applause to send him off.”

Felicia Chin

Stating that Aloysius was one of the most compassionate persons she has ever encountered, Felicia expressed how he would take the time to care, even though there was no benefit in return.

To exemplify, she quoted an outdoor shoot when everyone was perspiring, in which he had noticed a makeup artist’s portable fan and asked where they got it from. Subsequently, he requested the makeup artist to purchase eight more fans on his behalf, for the rest of the crew.

Additionally, he would also put aside 10 per cent of his pay every month to thank the production people.

“It moves me a lot,” Chin said.

In the end, Felicia stated that all of Aloysius’ hard work, he always remained “humble and unassuring” and “never complains, never whines, never boasts”.

He just gave his best, she said.

Carrie Wong

Having worked with Aloysius in five shows over the last three years, Carrie described him as a “very very kind” person, who would visit the special needs children with drinks when they film in the hospital.

And it seems that his actions didn’t go ungratified, as they would shout “Aloy kor kor!” everytime they saw him walking towards them.

Carrie also expressed that Pang takes care of everyone, from cast to cast to even the calefares.

Before the speech ended, she promised to accomplish his dream together with his peers.

Incidentally, you can watch the entire video, which was posted on both NoonTalk Media and Channel 8 WorldNews’ Facebook pages, down below:

On an ending note

Rest in peace, Aloysius.

You’ll be missed.