Taipei: Veteran entertainer Steven Liu (???), who died aged 83 on Monday, was known as the "godfather of Chinese language pop music" for his contributions as a composer, lyricist, singer, film director, and actor in the Hong Kong and Taiwanese entertainment industry of the 1970s and 1980s. According to Focus Taiwan, Liu composed many classic songs, including "Unforgettable Past" by You Ya (??), "On the West Tower Alone" by Teresa Teng (???), "Promise" by Liu Wen-cheng (???), and "Sea Gull" by Weng Qian-yu (???). The "Goodnight Song" he created for Fei Yu-ching (???) remains a popular choice for businesses as they close for the day. Liu also collaborated with the popular Japanese music group "Downtown and Cool Five" and Shinichi Mori, a Japanese male singer and composer, to cover and record his own Mandarin songs in Japanese. He played a pivotal role in nurturing the careers of several proteges who went on to achieve superstardom in their own right, including Liu Wen-cheng (???), Fong Fei-fei (???), and Brig itte Lin (???). In addition to his musical achievements, Liu found success in movies, directing Chinese-language classics such as "Love Begins Here," which won Best Narrative Feature and Best Musical at the 11th Golden Horse Awards in 1973, and "Plum Blossom," which garnered awards for Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Recording, and Best Musical at the 13th Golden Horse Awards in 1976.
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