{
  "id": 13867248,
  "title": "Ashes of late Cantopop icon Anita Mui missing for 3 months, family reveals",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/ashes-of-late-cantopop-icon-anita-mui-missing-for-3-months-family",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T04:03:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hong Kong Free Press",
    "slug": "hong-kong-free-press-hongkongfp",
    "url": "https://hongkongfp.com/2026/10/12/ashes-of-late-cantopop-icon-anita-mui-missing-for-3-months-family-reveals/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "The family of late Cantopop star Anita Mui has appealed for information after discovering that an urn containing her ashes was taken from a Lantau monastery almost three months ago. In a statement dated Saturday, the family said a fan who went to pay respects to Mui at Po Lin Monastery on July 18 found […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Ash urn with Anita Mui's ashes missing since July 18",
    "Fan discovered tampered screw at Po Lin Monastery",
    "Family urges public and motorists for information"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The disappearance of the singer's remains from a monastery niche highlights a distressing security failure that leaves her grieving family without closure despite an ongoing police investigation.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Urn with Anita Mui’s ashes missing from Lantau monastery as family appeals for help",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/urn-with-anita-muis-ashes-missing-from-lantau-monastery-as-family",
        "published": "2026-10-12T02:39:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hong Kong Free Press",
        "title": "Ashes of late Cantopop icon Anita Mui missing for 3 months, family reveals",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/ashes-of-late-cantopop-icon-anita-mui-missing-for-3-months-family-13870423",
        "published": "2026-10-12T04:03:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "#SHOWBIZ: Late Cantopop legend Anita Mui's ashes stolen from Hong Kong monastery",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/showbiz-late-cantopop-legend-anita-muis-ashes-stolen-from-hong-kong",
        "published": "2026-10-12T05:00:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Urn with Anita Mui's ashes missing from Lantau monastery as family appeals for help",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/urn-with-anita-muis-ashes-missing-from-lantau-monastery-as-family-13890333",
        "published": "2026-10-12T06:27:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}