Veteran actor Pang Xianglin died of illness at the age of 80

2026/09/26 11:40

[Reporter Li Shaoling/Report from Taipei] Veteran actor Pang Xianglin, who dominated the Taiwanese TV industry for nearly half a century with his superb villain acting skills, recently suffered from physical deterioration and esophageal atresia and was unable to eat. He was originally scheduled to be hospitalized for a nasogastric tube installation. Unexpectedly, he died of cardiopulmonary failure at 4:30 a.m. on the 1st of this month, surrounded by his family. He was 80 years old. His family held a farewell ceremony for him today (26th) at the Taipei Huai Ai Pavilion. The atmosphere was solemn and solemn. The posthumous photo in the center of the mourning hall was specially selected from the stills of him wearing a suit and having a steady and determined look in the classic 8 o'clock show "Night Market Life" to symbolize his life dedicated to the drama. Alyssa Chia, who had acted with him on the same stage in "The Flying Dragon", as well as friends in the industry such as Zhang Yongyong all sent flower baskets to pay their respects.

Pang Xianglin held a farewell ceremony. (Photo by reporter Wang Wenlin)

Before the family memorial ceremony, Pang Xianglin's actor son Pang Yunhui personally walked out of the mourning hall and bowed deeply to the waiting media. His expression could not hide his sorrow, and he expressed his grief: "Thank you for coming. My family is very sad." It was sour.

Please read on...

Pang Xianglin made his debut in the 1977 TV series "The Female Patrol". He was active in Mandarin TV series in the early days. In the classic drama "One Piece of Plum Blossom", he played a cruel and ruthless character to the extreme, and became popular in the streets in one fell swoop. With the ecological changes in Taiwan's film and television industry, he showed amazing resilience and worked hard to practice Taiwanese. He successfully moved to the local eight o'clock show and ushered in the second peak of his acting career. He played the sinister and treacherous villain "Wei Yonglai" in "The Flying Dragon", and his brilliant performances with Jiang Hongen, Alyssa Chia and others are still undefeated classics in the hearts of countless movie fans. Later, he played Huang Pingqiu in "Taiwan Tornado" and Chen Heqian in "Night Market Life", both of which perfectly portrayed the domineering and urban government of the shopping mall boss.

Pang Xianglin held a farewell ceremony and Zhang Chenguang. (Photo by reporter Wang Wenlin)

Although he is often shown as a villain and overlord in front of the screen, in private Pang Xianglin is a warm and kind elder in the hearts of younger generations. In his later years, he was tortured by illness. He once underwent major surgery for a benign ameloblastoma on the right side of his jaw, and lost 10 kilograms in weight. Then he gradually faded away from the scene to focus on recuperation. The "April Rain" broadcast in 2020 became his last TV series during his lifetime. Although news of a stroke was reported in July this year, he has always been tenacious and optimistic in the face of illness.

Pang Xianglin held a farewell ceremony and Kou Shixun. (Photo by reporter Wang Wenlin)

Pang Xianglin once emotionally recalled during his lifetime: "It was the happiest thing in my life to be able to bring laughter and emotion to everyone through drama." Now that the stage of life has officially come to an end, this "villain overlord" who has accompanied Taiwanese audiences for nearly half a century has retired. The countless legendary characters and figures left behind will forever remain in the hearts of drama fans.

No need to draw, no need to grab. Now use the APP to read the news. You are guaranteed to win every day. Click me to download the APP. Click me to see the event details.