‘Every day just reminds us of his absence’: Fans, friends, family pay tribute to late actor Aloysius Pang

SINGAPORE — Although it has been almost a year since actor Aloysius Pang died, his brother Jefferson said on Sunday (Jan 5) that the pain he feels is still raw.

“They say time will heal when such things happen,” said 33-year-old Mr Pang, fighting back tears. “But I can tell you honestly... every single day just reminds us of his absence.

“(Before this) my nephew was just asking ‘where is Aloysius?’”

The eldest of three brothers was speaking to more than 200 of Aloysius’ fans, colleagues and relatives who were gathered at ALICE@Mediapolis for a memorial event held in honour of the late actor.

Former Mediacorp artiste Dasmond Koh, who was Aloysius’ manager, said in Mandarin to the crowd that the event was a “simple way to remember Aloysius, and to showcase some of his works and the thoughts he has left with us”.

Pang died on Jan 23 last year after sustaining major injuries as a result of being crushed by the barrel of a gun inside a self-propelled howitzer.

He was participating in a Singapore Armed Forces military exercise at the Waiouru training area in New Zealand. He was just 28 years old.

Sunday’s event, which was limited to 200 sign-ups, showed video montages of Aloysius’ life and his previous works, as well as several of his music videos.

Several artists took to the stage to share their memories of Aloysius, with some describing him as a mentor with wisdom well beyond his years.

“Aloysius was a bigger brother and someone that I always looked up to,” said NoonTalk media artiste Kimberly Chia. “I called him an old man because he had a lot of wisdom in him. I wish that I could hear him speak again.”

Mandy Leong, one of Aloysius’ fans, said that she was glad to be able to attend this memorial, as she had missed his funeral service.

“Many of us here still feel very sad, but I think today’s memorial is a good way for us to remember him even after one year,” said the 41-year-old office manager.

Speaking to the media, Koh said that he is frequently reminded of Aloysius in his day-to-day life.

“When I drive on the road and I pass by certain sceneries (I am reminded of when) he was sitting beside me and chatting about some stuff. All these (memories) will flow back,” he said.

“When I see the studio, I remember when he asked me not to overwork, and not to put up with so much responsibility.

“There are too many little things that hit me all the time… It’s really painful even up to this point.”

Join our Telegram channel to get TODAY's top stories on mobile: