Hong Kong singer and actor Leslie Cheung is reported to have committed suicide after falling from a hotel room.
Local TV and radio stations have reported that the Canto star, whose most famous role was in the Oscar-nominated Farewell My Concubine, was found dead on Tuesday.
Although police refused to reveal the deceased's full name, they did confirm a man with the surname Cheung had leapt from a hotel room at the luxury Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
A suicide note was found on the body which was discovered at 0706 (1106 GMT).
Cheung, who was 46, rose to fame as a Canto singer in the 1980s after studying at Leeds University in the UK.
He then carved out a successful film career as one of the few Asian stars to play openly gay characters.
His acting career took off in 1986 when he starred opposite Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-Fat in John Woo's gangster movie A Better Tomorrow.
Farewell My Concubine saw him rise to international fame as the film was a worldwide art house success.
In the film Cheung played a gay opera singer who falls in love with a fellow performer.
Other film roles included Happy Together and Days of Being Wild, directed by Wong Kar-wai.
Cheung moved to Canada in 1992 but returned to Hong Kong to stay after its handover to China.
Hong Kong singer and actor Leslie Cheung is reported to have committed suicide after falling from a hotel room.
Local TV and radio stations have reported that the Canto star, whose most famous role was in the Oscar-nominated Farewell My Concubine, was found dead on Tuesday.
Although police refused to reveal the deceased's full name, they did confirm a man with the surname Cheung had leapt from a hotel room at the luxury Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
A suicide note was found on the body which was discovered at 0706 (1106 GMT).
Cheung, who was 46, rose to fame as a Canto singer in the 1980s after studying at Leeds University in the UK.
He then carved out a successful film career as one of the few Asian stars to play openly gay characters.
His acting career took off in 1986 when he starred opposite Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-Fat in John Woo's gangster movie A Better Tomorrow.
Farewell My Concubine saw him rise to international fame as the film was a worldwide art house success.
In the film Cheung played a gay opera singer who falls in love with a fellow performer.
Other film roles included Happy Together and Days of Being Wild, directed by Wong Kar-wai.
Cheung moved to Canada in 1992 but returned to Hong Kong to stay after its handover to China.