Kenneth Tsang, James Bond and Rush Hour actor, dies at 86 in COVID quarantine hotel

Actor Kenneth Tsang has died at age 86. He was best known in the West for starring as General Moon in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day.

Tsang passed away in the Kowloon hotel in Hong Kong where he was undergoing the city’s mandatory travel quarantining for COVID-19.

The Hong Kong-born star was at the hotel in the Tsim Sha Tsui district after returning from Singapore on Monday.

According to the South China Morning Post, which cited a local government source, Tsang's body was discovered in his room by health care workers conducting daily checks.

It's claimed the Ministry of Health staff found him unconscious and that he could not be revived.

The newspaper’s source claimed Tsang had tested negative for COVID on Tuesday.

The veteran star, who had over 50 successful years in the industry, was a regular leading man in Hong Kong films and classic kung fu movies in the 1950s and 1960s.

He then made his Hollywood debut in Chow Tun-fat’s gritty thriller, The Replacement Killers in 1998 before going on to star in Jackie Chan’s Rush Hour 2.

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He then famously starred in James Bond film Die Another Day in 2002 in which he played General Moon, alongside Pierce Brosnan in his fourth and final appearance as 007.

Tributes to the actor flooded in on Twitter following his sudden death.

One fan wrote: "RIP Kenneth Tsang. I know him best for A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II, The Killer and Supercop but he has a massive filmography including Rush Hour 2, The Replacement Killers and Memoirs of a Geisha. A true veteran actor."

Another said:"This one really hurts. A fantastic actor who has been a huge part of my life through cinema. R.I.P - Kenneth Tsang."

Hong Kong currently requires overseas visitors to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine at a designated hotel at their own expense.

On Wednesday, the city reported 430 new Covid-19 infections, up 83 from the day before, with eight deaths attributed to the virus.

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