Film Producer Tiffany Chen Says Leslie Cheung’s Death Linked to “Unclean Spirits,” Not Depression

Twenty-two years after Leslie Cheung’s passing, film producer Tiffany Chen has opened up about what she believes truly led to the Cantopop star’s death.

On April 1, 2003, Cheung leapt to his death from Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the age of 46.

For years, his death has been widely attributed to depression. But Tiffany, wife of Hong Kong film mogul Charles Heung, has doubts.

In a recent video posted on Xiaohongshu, she revealed that Leslie’s final phone call, placed just an hour before his death, was to her. The call, she said, has haunted her with guilt ever since.

Tiffany said Leslie sounded agitated, telling her: “I don’t have depression, and I’m not possessed!”

He wanted her to organise a press conference during which he would clarify that he was healthy and clear-minded.

She agreed and instructed her company staff to coordinate with Leslie. But within just an hour, news came that he had fallen to his death.

At first, she thought it was an April Fool’s prank, but when the news was confirmed, she collapsed in grief.

Tiffany said knowing Leslie’s personality, she didn’t believe depression was the sole cause. "He loved looking good, so he wouldn't have [jumped]", she said.

She added: “I don't think Leslie wanted to do this, really. Everyone knows his character. If he wanted to go, it would have been in a subtle way. People say he feared aging, but I don’t think that’s true."

While Tiffany acknowledged he was upset that his directorial project was cancelled after investment funds fell through, she believed that alone wasn’t enough to drive him to the edge.

Instead, she suspects something more sinister.

She pointed out that Leslie had just finished filming psychological thriller Inner Senses, in which his character jumps to his death.

According to friends, he often complained of being “grabbed by something” in his sleep, which left him exhausted and sleepless.

Tiffany believes he may have been haunted by “unclean spirits.”

She even considered bringing in a Taoist master to help, but Leslie’s partner, Daffy Tong, a devout Christian, refused to allow such intervention.

To this day, she regrets not acting on her instincts: “I should have disregarded everything and taken the master to save him.”