Nicholas Tse Shuts Down Rumours About Patrick Tse's Estate; Warns Legal Action Against Those Spreading Fake News About His Late Father

Since the passing of Patrick Tse was announced by his two children — Nicholas and Jennifer Tse — earlier this week, unverified rumours have circulated online, including claims about the distribution of his estate.

The 89-year-old veteran Hong Kong actor reportedly died of pneumonia on July 16 and was cremated on July 20 at Wo Hop Shek Crematorium in Fanling.

One widely shared rumour alleged that Patrick had planned to leave 90 per cent of his estate to his two grandsons, with his former daughter-in-law, Cecilia Cheung, managing the inheritance.

Cecilia and Nicholas, who split in 2011 after five years of marriage, share two sons, Lucas, 18, and Quintus, 16.

The remaining 10 per cent was speculated to be split equally between Nicholas and Jennifer.

On July 23, Nicholas shut down the rumours, through a statement from his management company, Emperor Entertainment. 

"We have discovered that certain individuals who are unaware of the facts have fabricated stories regarding Mr Patrick Tse's 'cause of death' and 'estate distribution'," wrote Mani Fok, CEO of Emperor Entertainment Group.

"They have publicly spread false and malicious information, causing widespread misunderstanding among internet users and prompting defamatory, insulting and false comments directed at Mr Tse."

She also stressed that the family wished to handle Patrick's funeral arrangements in a low-key manner and urged "all individuals to immediately cease spreading such false information and remove all related posts and reports".

"His reputation, privacy and dignity should be protected by law and respected by society," the statement read.

"Any act of fabricating facts, distorting the truth, maliciously defaming the deceased, or exploiting his name to generate public attention is deeply disrespectful and constitutes an infringement of his rights."

The statement also urged the public to treat Patrick's memory with kindness and respect, and to refrain from tarnishing his reputation with unfounded rumours.

"Should anyone continue to spread false information, Emperor Entertainment and Mr Tse reserve the right to pursue legal action and will not tolerate such conduct."