Taiwan composer Li Tai-hsiang dies

Taiwan composer and folk song writer Li Tai-hsiang [File photo]

Famous Taiwan composer and folk song writer Li Tai-hsiang died of thyroid cancer on Thursday at the age of 73.

His representative works include songs of "The Olive Tree", "Farewell", "Chrysanthemum Sigh", "Because Fall Is Almost Ending" and "Mistress."

He moved to Taipei with his parents to settle down at the age of five and showed talents in painting and music at the elementary school. He graduated with violin as major study, but launched his career of music composition later.

From the 1950s to the 1960s, he turned his music creation from traditional music (adapted aboriginal and folk songs) into modern music. In the late 1970s, he started to adapt and write applied music, including film scoring, advertising music and pop music. In the 1980s, he was one of the few composers who could take full-time music creation for a living.

He took the surgery of implanting two pulse generators in his brain in late 2000. The disease was effectively controlled after the surgery and he continued with his musical creations.

Well known singers like CHYI, Christine Hui and Sally Yeh are all his students.