During the early '80s Danny Chan was among Cantopop's biggest stars, his success rivaling that of Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung. Born in Hong Kong on September 7, 1958, he made his acting debut on TVB in 1977 and his recording debut with the album First Love in 1979. He quickly rose to fame and remained exceptionally popular throughout the 1980s, so much so that he was invited to perform at the opening ceremony of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He announced his retirement from the Cantopop scene in 1991 and performed a farewell concert in Shanghai in 1992. Within a year's time he had fallen into a coma and died 17 months later in 1993 at age 35, sparking considerable media speculation about his sudden death. ~ Jason Birchmeier