30th August 2026 – (Hong Kong) Tam Mei‑kam, mother of the late Cantopop icon Anita Mui, died this morning aged 102 after collapsing during breakfast at her Leighton Road residence. A domestic worker reported that Tam fainted while being fed liquid oatmeal at about 10.30am; she was taken by ambulance to Ruttonjee Hospital and was certified dead at around 11.27am. Tam had long suffered from heart disease and high blood pressure and required regular medication and soft foods. Her elder son, Mui Kai‑ming, said he learned of her death from reporters before rushing to the hospital with his fiancée.
Tam’s passing brings a definitive close to a protracted inheritance saga. Following Anita Mui’s death in 2003, a will and trust directed that specific properties and bequests be distributed, with the residue managed by a trustee to pay Tam a monthly allowance until her death, after which the balance would be donated to New Horizon Buddhist Association. Tam challenged the arrangements repeatedly from 2004, but ultimately lost her final appeal in 2011 when a panel of five top court judges dismissed the case within minutes. With Tam now deceased, the remaining trust assets are expected to flow to the Buddhist association in accordance with the testamentary plan.
According to counsel acting for one of the beneficiaries at the time, the estate once included several Hong Kong properties, among them Henredon Court on Shouson Hill Road and two addresses in Happy Valley, Yuk Sau Mansion on Yuk Sau Street and Happy Court on Village Road, while other overseas holdings had been sold. Although precise valuations were not disclosed, lawyers indicated the sums were substantial and sufficient to support Tam in her later years. Public records confirm Henredon Court at 8 Shouson Hill Road, Yuk Sau Mansion at 18–22 Yuk Sau Street, and Happy Court at 25–27 Village Road.
Tam’s legal team had argued that Anita lacked experience with trusts and might not have understood their scope, while the court’s decision was seen by other beneficiaries as reflecting the singer’s wishes. During the litigation years, Tam’s monthly allowance was raised from HK$70,000 to HK$120,000 and later cited by her family as having reached about HK$250,000, yet the combination of living costs and extensive legal fees reportedly depleted much of the estate’s cash. At one point Tam sought a single payout representing approximately 15 years of future maintenance, an application that was rejected.
The will also made personal gifts to close associates and family. Fashion designer Eddie Lau Pui‑kei was named to receive specific properties in Hong Kong and London, while more than HK$1 million was set aside for four nieces and nephews as education funds. Lau’s identity and long professional association with Anita Mui are well documented by government and museum sources.