THOUSANDS of mourners in Hong Kong gathered at a public memorial service Sunday to bid a final farewell to veteran entertainer Lydia Shum after last week’s private family funeral.

The service, attended by some of the city’s biggest singers and actors, was broadcast live on all the major television channels in the territory and transmitted via satellite across the world.

Family and friends took turn to pay tribute on stage to the comedienne, affectionately nicknamed by her fans as “Fei Fei” in Chinese or “Fatty” because of her plump physique.

Shum, 62, died Feb. 19 after a battle with liver cancer. She was buried Feb. 29 in Vancouver, Canada, where she lived for many years, at a private ceremony, the footage of which was broadcast at the two-hour memorial Sunday.

The late actress won over audiences not only in Hong Kong but also on the mainland and Chinese communities around the world. Even the mayor of Vancouver proclaimed Shum’s birthday, June 1, as “Ms. Fei Fei Day” in her honor.

Shum, known for her bouffant hairstyle and wing-tip glasses, was one of Hong Kong’s most popular actresses and comediennes, with a career spanning more than four decades.

Born in Shanghai in 1945, Shum took up acting as a child and quickly became popular thanks to her high spirits and sense of humor.

She went on to star in more than 70 movies, according to Internet Movie Database, and later hosted numerous variety shows produced by local television station TVB, most notably “Enjoy Yourself Tonight.”

The actress is survived by daughter Joyce Cheng and her former husband — actor and singer Adam Cheng Siu-chow.

(SD-Agencies)