Ashes of late Cantopop icon Anita Mui missing for 3 months, family reveals

The family of the late Cantopop star Anita Mui has sought public assistance after discovering that an urn containing her ashes went missing from a Lantau monastery nearly three months ago. In a statement released on Saturday, the family disclosed that a fan who visited Mui's columbarium niche at Po Lin Monastery on July 18 found that a screw had been tampered with.

Consequently, the urn, which held the late singer's ashes, was no longer present. The family promptly reported the incident to the authorities. However, despite the ongoing police investigation, no significant progress has been made, the family lamented in their heartfelt statement coinciding with Mui's birthday. The singer, who passed away in 2003 at the age of 40 due to cervical cancer, would have turned 63 this year.

The family's anguish was further compounded by the recent passing of Mui's mother, who succumbed to age 102 in August, making the family's situation doubly devastating and "utterly heartbroken." The family is urging anyone who was present at Po Lin Monastery on or prior to July 18, who may have observed any suspicious individuals or individuals carrying an urn, to contact them.

Additionally, they are requesting motorists who traveled near the monastery during July, specifically before July 18, to provide any available dashcam footage. Anita Mui, a celebrated artist both in Hong Kong and internationally, began her career at a tender age to support her family. Her 1985 album "Bad Girl" set sales records of her time, and she held the record for the largest number of concerts in a single year.

A biopic about her life, "Anita," was released in 2021 and quickly became one of the highest-grossing local films that year.