In his last words to the world, Hong Kong Heavenly King Leslie Cheung summed up his recent days in a single word in his suicide note.

Depression, he wrote. And then he thanked his doctor, his friend Lydia Sum, his family and 'Mr Tong'.

Was Mr Tong the cause of his depression?

We will never know. What we do know is that Leslie was miserable. A star worshipped by millions of Canto-pop and movie fans in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, he was alone in his emotional roller-coaster ride.

And, yesterday evening, it ended in a leap to death from the 24th floor of a Hong Kong hotel. His body was discovered on Connaught Road by a pedestrian who called the police at 6.41pm.

A Hong Kong police spokesman said Leslie was sent to the Queen Mary's Hospital, and was declared dead at 7pm.

It had, Leslie said in his note, been a difficult year.

'I cannot take it anymore,' he wrote. I've never done anything bad in my life, so why do things have to get this way?'

It was signed, simply, 'Leslie'.

Hong Kong newspapers had reported that Leslie had recently been troubled by his health.

The star had been unusually reclusive the past year, and is said to have had gastric problems.

Apple Daily reported that Leslie, 46, was a regular at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong's Central district.

On Tuesday, he was seen at the hotel's private club lounge on the 24th floor, where he ordered a drink.

Reports said Leslie had asked for his drink to be brought to the terrace, and also asked for a pen and paper.

He penned his suicide note there and then leapt to his death.

His body was identified by his psychiatrist, named only as Professor Mak, and his brother-in-law, Mak Fatt Cheng.

The reaction of many of Leslie's friends to his suicide was shock and disbelief.

Actress Lydia Sum, who is mentioned in the letter, was attending a function in Wanchai when reporters broke the news to her.

She said: 'Choi (Cantonese expression for warding off evil)! Don't say such nonsense!'

Lydia insisted on calling Leslie in front of the reporters, but the call didn't get through. So she left a message.

Later, after the news sank in, Lydia told reporters:

'I don't wish to say more. I don't how to express my feelings. We were so close that we used to call each other Honey.'

There has been talk recently that Leslie had problems with his live-in boyfriend, said to be a Mr Tong.

Neighbours had reportedly heard them quarrelling and throwing things around in their house.

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