Tung Lam - The last comedian of Saigon Four Monsters passed away at the age of 89, his wife revealed the last moments of his life

Ms. Thu Trang - the artist's wife - said that a few days ago, his health was weak, he did not want to eat and just lay in bed. Early this morning, she woke up to discover that her husband had passed away.

"The artist passed away peacefully and peacefully in his sleep," the family said.

Before that, his health gradually weakened after a surgery earlier this year, he could not walk and had to rely on his wife to take care of him.

In January, the Ngu Long Du Ky group (actors Phi Phung, Phuong Dung, Thuy Muoi, Nam Cha and Miss Diem Huong) visited the house to wish comedian Tung Lam a Happy New Year and revealed that he had become much weaker, almost just hanging around the house. His wife and daughter must take turns caring for and supporting him.

At that time, although his health was limited and his mind was no longer clear, artist Tung Lam still missed his job. The artist's wife said that sometimes he couldn't sleep, calling out the names of his parents and acquaintances who had performed with him. Occasionally, he took out his vest to wear it because he missed the stage.

In the comedy scene of Saigon before 1975, there was a person who didn't need to act, just stepped on stage and the audience was laughing, that was artist Tung Lam. He is especially famous for his cheerful and amusing roles in comedy skits, or in other artistic fields such as dialogue, opera, music, and cinema. In the past, in tragic operas, between the tear-filled scenes, there were often the appearances that the audience was waiting for, which were funny clown roles. Similarly, in theatrical movies, there are often the appearance of "clown roles" to ease the tension of the script, and comedians such as Tung Lam or Van Chung, Phi Thoan, Kha Cap , Thanh Hoai... were called "clowns" in ancient times.

"Clown" Tung Lam is a very talented artist, participating in almost all fields of art, from modern music to classical music, from cinema to comedy stage, including both drama and comedy. h. Ong is also a famous impresario, head of the Magazine Department with female singers whose names begin with Tran: Tran My Dung, Tran Thanh Lan, Tran Kim Yen...

Artist Tung Lam was born in 1934 in Saigon, his real name is Lam Nuon Pham, the youngest child in a family of 10 brothers and sisters in Tan Dinh market. His father was a famous lawyer (same as this lawyer) in Saigon at that time.

When I was young, because of the difficult situation, I often found my friends singing to earn a living. Sometimes I ventured to Phnom Penh, and then I was lucky enough to have musician Le Binh teach me how to sing modern music and play mandolin very well. pure passive. Tung Lam came to the art scene very early. When he was just 14 years old, he won first prize in a children's singing contest organized by Saigon-Radiᴏ radio station (predecessor of Phap Asia station) with the song An Phu Don by his teacher, musician Le Binh. Then in 1952, he again won first prize in the singer selection contest organized by Radio France Asia with the song "Fisherman's Voice" by musician Pham Dinh Chuong.

His original stage name was Van Tam. Because of his modest stature, he was teased by his friends as "Shorty Mind". With a humorous nature, he transformed that teasing statement into his new nickname: "Dwarf Heart" which was changed to Tun Lam.

There was a time when artist Tung Lam "made it big" and made a lot of money, but then because of debt, his fortune gradually dwindled, and he even ended up in debt. That's a dark past that he doesn't want to hide, and even wrote a song called "Xap Gray Chon" to advise everyone.

After 1975, Tuan Lam's career slowed down for a while, he focused on studying new artists. In 1983, he was appointed deputy head of the Hau Giang music and dance troupe. During the 1980s, because he was busy managing the orchestra, Tung Lam rarely performed on stage.

In the 1990s, audiences were accustomed to watching comedy through video tapes, which was both convenient and cheap. Renting a tape cost 1,000-2,000 VND but could watch all kinds of comedians and artists. music, from then on the music and dance troupe They were absent and then disbanded one by one. Unemployed, artist Tung Lam had to return to Saigon to make a living. However, later on, his poor age limited his artistic activities.

In the 2000s, after many strokes, artist Tung Lam retired from acting.