Aloysius Pang's death: 'Accept and let him go in peace' (full interview transcript)
Late actor Aloysius Pang’s long-time mentor Dasmond Koh, 46, and elder brother Kenny Pang, 32, spoke to reporters on Thursday (24 January) night, shortly after they landed back in Singapore from New Zealand.
During a 14-minute press conference held at Changi Airport Terminal 3’s The Haven room, both men shared their thoughts on the 28-year-old actor as a brother and son, as well as spoke about his passion for acting.
Here is the transcript in full:
Koh (in Mandarin): From yesterday till the moment we realised what had happened, it has been an indescribable feeling. This is why I haven’t replied to anyone – messages or calls. I really apologise for that.
Q: When will Pang’s body be sent back to Singapore?
Kenny: Till now we still don’t know. I have just touched down, I haven’t had the chance to look through what the arrangements have been done. That I can’t comment any further.
Q: What are some of the plans moving forward, when it comes to funeral arrangements?
Kenny: I think we are currently at the grieving stage right now. This is very hard to accept. We are still trying to accept the reality that this has actually happened. I would really appreciate all this space will be given to us for us to make a formal decision to think through what is best for Aloysius before we can communicate.
Koh: To add on a little bit – we understand he is a celebrity who is well-loved. A lot of fans and the media would love to meet him. We are currently working with the SAF to see how we can facilitate this. No actual information has been given yet but we are trying our best to let Aloysius come back early, as early as possible.
Q: We understand that your mother was first in New Zealand. Was there ample information given on the ground to them?
Kenny: No. When we left, we only knew he was going for emergency surgery. I think the main concern for all of us was to fly down immediately. As to what other things, that would come secondary. As a priority, as a family, we would want to see him first.
Q: Was his turn for the worst something that the family and friends have prepared themselves for?
Kenny: None of us can be mentally prepared for any of this. As the situation has gone to the worst, we will just…it has already happened. Mentally or not, it has happened. Now it is really for us to grieve and let us calm ourselves down.
Q: Can both of you describe your emotions – initially his condition stabilised and then it took a turn for the worse.
Kenny: It is a lot of ups and downs for this entire trip, for both of us. So I can’t describe whether there is a moment of relief or sadness. Every time when he was in his first surgery, second surgery even his third, we were all very worried, regardless of whether it was for the best or the worst.
Q: Can you share on the help you received when you reached New Zealand?
Kenny: We are thankful for Mindef in briefing us in every way they can, with all the arrangements and all the liaising to get us to meet Aloysius as soon as possible. That I would like to thank Mindef and I also have to thank Dasmond for all the help he has given us in every way he can, emotionally and family support, even doing all the liaising with Mindef.
Q: Dasmond, what kind of an artiste was Aloysius to you? What aspirations did you hope to help him achieve?
Kenny: I believe that Aloysius has a lot of aspirations, and he has a lot of things that he has shared with us what he wants to do in the future. He has always been a very careful person, he put a lot of thoughts in whatever he wants to do.
So for all the unfinished work that he planned, I would really want everyone to communicate to the family, to make sure we have looked through his product or look through his roles to make sure that this is the best that he wants to show. I will let him (Dasmond) be the main liaison to ensure that he communicates this to us, and to decide whether or not we want to showcase to the media or to the public.
Q: Was Aloysius awake when you met him?
Kenny: I didn’t manage to meet him awake, we didn’t get that opportunity to.
Q: What do you and your family hope authorities will do?
Kenny: I guess Mindef already did their brief this afternoon. Like I said before, I haven’t got the chance to look at my phone or any news for any latest updates. For that, I will let Mindef communicate with us directly.
Koh: I think this one is a bit sensitive, it is still going through investigation. We cannot comment further until the next report is out. Of course we will take it step by step. For the time being, that is not our primary concern. Our primary concern is to get Aloysius back.
Q: Can you tell us about what you and the family are feeling right now and what you plan to do next?
Koh (Mandarin): When we got the news of his injuries, we took the first opportunity to fly out to New Zealand. One of our regrets is that Kenny and I didn’t really get a chance to speak with Aloysius.
Our emotions were going up and down because operations are usually like that: Things may go well, or they make take a turn for the worst. It was like riding a roller coaster. We tried our best to control our emotions.
For them (siblings), it’s harder because their parents were there – other than keeping their own emotions in control, they also had to be mindful of their parents’ emotions as well. No one wanted to see this outcome. What is most important is when we can bring him back.
The next step may be exploring the possibility of organising a memorial service for fans or Mediacorp colleagues to bid him farewell. These are our current priorities.
Q: Did he say anything before he passed on?
Koh (Mandarin): When we reached, after the first, and subsequent follow-up operation, he was unconscious. We had no opportunity to converse or communicate with him. We had no opportunity to interact with him.
Q: Can you tell me how he was as a brother to you?
Kenny: What you see on television, and what you see from the responses that he has been receiving, all the love and care – that is who he is. As transparent as he is, he is as caring and devoted to his passion. His main priority is his love for his parents – that is what he has always been showing to the media.
Q: Can you tell us whether the parents are still in New Zealand?
Koh (Mandarin): It’s not convenient to divulge the current whereabouts of his parents.
Q: So will you be organising a memorial service for Aloysius?
Koh (Mandarin): We are still discussing this with the brothers and parents. This is because we are not sure how long the whole process will take or what it will require. Our consensus, however, is that we will try our best to arrange it if we can, because we know a lot of fans want to bid farewell to him.
So we are currently arranging it. We will try our best to let everyone know, as soon as possible. Perhaps we can tell everyone more concrete details in a day or two.
Q: Is there anything you would like to say to his fans?
Koh (Mandarin): I know that you are all feeling sad. I hope all his fans will concentrate their energy on his work and what he previously worked on. This is the most important thing. As for the rest, please don’t bother to speculate online as these things will ultimately reach his parents. We hope everyone can help in this area and wait for our updates on his send-off.
Kenny (Mandarin): We received a lot of his fans’ care and concern these couple of days. On behalf of Aloysius, there’s a lot of gratitude for that. But he respects his family’s space. (English) We all know that he really cherishes our privacy as a family. We would like to appreciate all the space that you can give us to us, so that this is also out of respect for Aloysius.
Q: You spoke about him as a brother. How about him as a son – was he particularly close to his mother or father?
Kenny: Definitely (was close). He was the precious (one) out of the family. He was the youngest, he is the most loved. Everybody loved him as the youngest and treated him as the precious (one). We call him “小瓜” for a reason. He is the youngest and the one we will all shower with love. To reciprocate that, he also understands the point and he has also given us all the support and all the love he can give to the family.
Koh: He has grown up well, from the younger days, the rebellious stage. We have seen his passion and devotion and how focused he is in his job – to make sure he did his best and presenting his best side. With that, I think he has done his best.
****
Koh (Mandarin): Think this is basically it. We will let everyone know as soon as possible if we have a memorial service or send-off. If you can, please help us to spread the message, or rather help me to: I want to apologise to everyone who loved and doted on Aloysius – I am very sorry for not bringing him back well and healthy.
That, I believe, is the news everyone wanted. But in these past few days, if he became tired and felt like it was time to give up, we have to accept and let him go in peace. Thank you, everyone.
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