HONG KONG – A bitter family dispute has erupted over the funeral arrangements for Mei Tan Mei-kam, the 102-year-old mother of late Cantopop legend Anita Mui, with her eldest son publicly vowing to secure a HK$1.5 million burial against the wishes of other relatives.
Mei Kai-ming, who was publicly disowned by his mother in 2022, held a press conference Thursday in Causeway Bay to announce his plans for a traditional earth burial at the permanent cemetery in Tseung Kwan O. He accused other family members of attempting to handle the funeral quietly and without his involvement.
“I am the eldest son. It is my duty to handle my mother’s funeral, not for grandchildren or outsiders to arrange a low-key cremation,” Mei said in a written statement distributed at the press conference.
The 150,000 Hong Kong dollar funeral package includes use of a top-tier funeral home, cemetery plot, ceremonial offerings, and Buddhist monks chanting prayers. Mei said he has already contacted police and lawyers regarding his mother’s death certificate, which he claims remains at the Happy Valley police station and not with his nephew as rumored.
Mei acknowledged he was not informed of his mother’s death last week, despite the 2022 public newspaper notice severing their relationship. He dismissed the disavowal, arguing his mother was 100 years old at the time and not of sound mind.
“Everything said back then was incoherent. Was she mentally clear? Mental state and thinking are two different things,” he said.
Central to the dispute is whether Mei Tan left a will appointing her grandson—the son of Mei’s other son, Mei Tak-ming—as executor. Mei Kai-ming said he has prepared a court injunction to prevent other relatives from handling the body.
“Even if there is a will, so what? I will fight to the end. Wills can be forged, people can be pressured,” he said, adding that he has not seen any documentation.
When asked why a grandson appointed by the grandmother should not manage the funeral given the severed relationship, Mei responded: “Unless I am dead. They cannot handle my mother’s body.”
Mei vigorously denied accusations that he is seeking to access the Anita Mui Trust Fund, established after the singer’s death from cervical cancer in 2003 at age 40. The trust was designed to provide monthly allowances for Mei Tan, who engaged in multiple legal battles over the years seeking larger payouts.
“I have not taken a single cent from that fund,” Mei said. “If I ever receive Anita’s inheritance, I will donate it all.”
He described seeing his mother’s body in the mortuary and claimed her lips moved as if telling him she was cold, and that she visited him during the traditional seventh-day ritual.
“Say what you want, I don’t need you to believe me,” he said.
Mei also publicly attacked his wife Joey, calling her “unworthy” of being his spouse, and accused media personalities including “Fat Mom” and Pan Siu-man of defaming him.
The case has been referred to police and lawyers as the family prepares for what could become a prolonged legal battle over funeral arrangements and potential access to the Mui family trust assets.
Legal experts note that Hong Kong’s inheritance laws generally respect a deceased person’s wishes as expressed in a valid will, but disputes over funeral arrangements and burial sites often fall to family courts to resolve when consensus cannot be reached.
For now, Mei Kai-ming remains defiant: “The money will come. Where from is a secret. But my mother will have a magnificent funeral.”
