Canto-pop singer Alan Tam opens up about his decades of adultery in the hope it will persuade fans to be faithful to their partners

‘I hope nobody will follow what I did,’ Tam said of the affair he started with Wendy Chu after marrying Sally Yeung. It was because he wanted a child, he said
He dated Chu, who bore him a son, since she ‘was a supportive woman who understood’ him, and did not let either woman go as ‘he felt the two of them were good’

K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop

Yu Kang

Published: 12:45pm, 12 Oct 2020

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Canto-pop singer Alan Tam Wing-lun has recently opened up about his extramarital affair with girlfriend Wendy Chu Wing-ting, saying that he pursued her despite being married to Sally Yeung Kit-mei because he wanted a child.

“It’s not good to have two wives,” Tam admitted in a recent interview with Hong Kong radio show Happy Daily. He said that he was speaking up about his affair now in the hopes that his fans would not follow in his footsteps.

“I’ve made them both suffer,” Tam said. “I hope nobody will follow what I did.”

Tam remains legally married to Yeung, although they have reportedly led separate lives for years.

Last year, Tam sparked a backlash for attending several rallies in support of Hong Kong police, at a time when the force faced criticism for officers’ handling of anti-government protests.

The couple wed in 1981, with Tam saying theirs was “love at first sight”. The singer said he kept his marriage a secret to avoid affecting his career – their relationship was only revealed when Yeung’s father died in 1993 and Tam was listed in official documents as his son-in-law.

Tam, 71, is said to have met Chu – who is 20 years his junior – in 1991. The singer said he started dating her despite being married to Yeung because Chu “was a supportive woman who understood” him. In 1996, Chu gave birth to Tam’s only son, Howard Tam Hiu-fung.

The couple kept their affair under wraps until Tam’s father, soccer player Tam Kong-pak, died in 2006. It was then that Tam came clean to his wife about his relationship with Chu.

A 2015 report said Yeung had moved into the Chi Lin Nunnery in Diamond Hill, Kowloon. Sources said she was looking to “distance herself from worldly affairs” – including relinquishing her assets, reportedly worth more than HK$1 billion (US$129 million) – by becoming a Buddhist nun.

In the interview, Tam said he refused to let either woman go, as “he felt the two of them were good”.

Tam won TVB’s award for most popular male artist for four consecutive years in the 1980s.

This isn’t the first time that Tam has made headlines in the past year or so. After the singer attended rallies in support of the Hong Kong police at a time when the force faced criticism for officers’ handling of anti-government protests, internet users posted pictures of destroyed Tam records and CDs, and flooded his social media pages with negative comments.

The star was forced to take down his Facebook and Instagram accounts not long before his 70th birthday in August 2019.

Despite his polarising political views, the 70-year-old remains respected for developing the Canto-pop sound during its heyday.

As the lead singer for The Wynners, Tam (front right) shot to fame with his boyish charm and romantic ballads.

As the lead singer for The Wynners – a band he formed with friends in the 1970s – Tam shot to fame with his boyish charm and romantic ballads.

After the band split in 1978, Tam launched a successful solo career, won Hong Kong television station TVB’s award for most popular male artist for four consecutive years in the 1980s, and has to date released more than 100 albums. He holds the record for the most solo concerts staged by a Hong Kong singer.

In 1996, Tam was awarded the Golden Needle award for lifetime achievement during the RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards, one of the main Canto-pop awards in Hong Kong.

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