Artist Alfonso Wong, creator of the iconic Hong Kong comic “Old Master Q”, has died at the age of 92.
Old Master Q Comics released a statement today saying that Wong “quietly passed away” after suffering from organ failure. He died at 5:57am on New Year’s Day in the United States, where he had lived since the 1980s.
Tributes to Wong have been pouring in on social media, with thousands of fans expressing their sadness at the beloved artist’s death. “Goodbye Mr. Wong, thank you for enriching my childhood,” one Facebook user wrote. “Thank you for the many wonderful memories,” another netizen said.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Greg So extended his condolences to Wong’s family, and remarked that, “With a unique drawing style, simple and hilarious storylines, the ‘Old Master Q’ series demonstrated the wide spectrum of life experiences and the different facets of lives in Hong Kong through different periods of time”, according to a government statement. “The household names Old Master Q, Big Potato and Mr Chin accompanied countless Hong Kong people throughout their formative years and are still favoured by readers of different generations and age groups.”
Born in Tianjin in 1924, Wong studied Western art in Beijing’s Fu Jen Catholic University and eventually moved to Hong Kong in 1956 to work as an illustrator for a publishing company.
In 1962, he began publishing Old Master Q under his eldest son Joseph’s Chinese name, “Wong Chak”, about the weird and wonderful lives of its eponymous character Old Master Q (also known as Lo Fu Zi) and his friends Big Potato and Mr. Chin. It’s since become one of the longest-running comic strips in the world, and a staple of Hong Kong pop culture. Despite Wong’s retirement in 1995, his son (a.k.a. the real Wong Chak) has kept the ink and laughs flowing ever since.
Three Old Master Q statues in varying styles are displayed at Sheung Wan’s Ng Hing Kee, the agency which published the first volume of OMQ comics in 1964. Photo: Rafiaa Rumjahn/Coconuts Media
It’s not hard to see just how much Wong’s work has touched Hongkongers’ hearts. Old Master Q’s renown in the Chinese-speaking community has led to his work being turned into numerous films and TV shows throughout the years, both in Cantonese and Mandarin, whilst Ng Hing Kee Book & Newspaper Agency, which published the first volume of Old Master Q comics in 1964, exclusively sells the franchise’s memorabilia at their shop in Sheung Wan.
In August last year, an Old Master Q-themed café, OMQ Dining Room, opened in Prince Edward, with the café’s owner proudly telling Time Out that every detail of the restaurant had been approved by old master Wong himself.
Since mid-December, an exhibition of Wong’s work has been on display at the Comix Home Base in Wan Chai. After news of Wong’s death broke today, organisers announced that the exhibition would be extended by half a day, until 1pm on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated.
