Taiwanese Host Cai Tou, Whose Death From Liver Cancer In Dec Was Kept Secret Until Recently, Wanted His Family To Say He Went Overseas When He Dies

Veteran Taiwanese host Cai Tou, whose real name is Cai Siwen, passed away from liver cancer at the age of 71.

He was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer last November and his condition was said to have improved after he was transferred to Taipei’s Shuang-Ho Hospital.

However, his health started to deteriorate soon after, and he was in a coma before he died in end December.

Cai Tou was fiercely private about his condition and even close showbiz pals like his manager and singer Pai Bingbing were unaware about his illness until news of his death broke yesterday (Jan 26).

According to reports, Cai Tou once said in an interview that when he dies, he wouldn’t want anyone to know about it.

“I will tell my family not to reveal that I am gone. They have to say that I am overseas,” he shared.

Cai Tou with members from Red Top Artists

Cai Tou made his showbiz debut at the age of 21 in 1970 and is best known for starting cross-dressing performance group Red Top Artists, which was a sensation in the mid ‘90s.

However, their theatre in Taichung was destroyed during an earthquake in 1999, and this was when things started going downhill for Cai Tou.

He went bankrupt after suffering losses of NT$170mil (S$8.26mil) and had to sell his seven houses to pay his debts. He later suffered from depression and faded out of the limelight.

In 2006, he started a new business in Taipei’s Ximending, but because of poor management, had to shut it down less than three months later.

When Cai Tou was a guest on variety show Super Followers, he revealed that he was very grateful to host Jacky Wu for not only inviting him on the show, but also for lending him NT$5mil (S$243K) to tide him through his difficulties.

Photos: Sinchew, Jacky Wu/Instagram