Yesterday (Sep 12) would have been Leslie Cheung’s 63rd birthday. It's been 16 years since the death of the movie legend but his fans have remained loyal till this day, with many of them leaving bouquets of flowers at his memorial shrine in Hongkong to commemorate his birthday.

It’s said that when Leslie was still alive, he would hold a celebration on his birthday every year. In 2002, when he was 46, it was reported that he had invited many of his showbiz pals for a party at his home. But he had told them beforehand that he would only be accepting cash and not presents. His reason? He would be donating the amount received to the End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation in Hongkong.

According to reports, his birthday wish that year was for “World peace!” and later that evening, he left his house to greet the reporters waiting outside and even personally handed them chocolate treats. This is just one of the many reasons the late star was beloved by all and sundry.

2002 would also be the last year Leslie Cheung celebrated his birthday. The screen icon killed himself on April 1st the next year by leaping from the 24th floor of Hongkong’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Like he does every year, Leslie’s partner Daffy Tong wrote a post dedicated to the actor on his Instagram yesterday. Quoting lyrics from one of Leslie’s classic songs ‘Dan Yuan Ren Chang Jiu’, Daffy wished his late partner “a Happy Birthday and a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival”.