Hong Kong comedienne icon Lydia Shum, who passed away in Hong Kong on Feb 19 at the age of 62, was laid to rest in peace at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Burnaby on the outskirts of Vancouver, Canada yesterday morning (local time).

About 300 family members, relatives and friends attended a requiem service prior to her burial. The ceremony started at 10am and lasted for about 80 minutes.

At as early as 6am, a large posse of local and Hong Kong reporters were waiting outside the cemetery but they were not allowed to go inside to film or take photographs until the requiem service was over.

In the middle of the memorial hall was the photo of Shum dressed in red with her trademark sunshine smile. The photo was flanked by white lilies and champagne roses which were Shum's favorite.

Inside the memorial hall were over 100 flower wreaths, including the one from her ex-husband Adam Cheng, who did not attend the service. A representative of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also attended the requiem service. She paid tributes to Shum and highlighted her contribution to the Chinese community in Vancouver.

At the requiem service, a tearful Joyce Cheng, Shum's daughter, addressed the congregation. At the end of the requiem service, relatives and friends escorted the coffin to the cemetery.

Speaking about Canadian government's high regards for Shum, the comedienne's close friend Chan Suk-fan said: "It is of course a very great honor for her and her family. It is a recognition of her contribution to the entertainment industry over the past decades by the global Chinese community as well."

Television Broadcasting Ltd, for which Shum had worked for the most part of her career, will organize a memorial service at the Hong Kong Coliseum on Sunday, for the public to pay their last respects to Shum. Video footage of the funeral service held in Vancouver will be shown during the service.

(HK Edition 02/29/2008 page1)