FUNDRAISING CONCERT FOR LIU WEI-ZEN

A grand concert was held last weekend in Taipei in an effort to raise medical fund for veteran singer and songwriter Liu Wei-zen, who has been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. And although more than 1.2 million NT dollars have been raised as a result, it may still not be enough to solve the musician's financial woes.

Twenty-one years ago, the passing of rock singer Hsueh Yue in his mid-thirties due to liver cancer marked a significant loss for Taiwanese pop music. And Hsueh's last hit, titled "If There Is Still a Tomorrow," captured the poignancy of his untimely death at the prime of life.

And in a sad twist of fate, the man who wrote that song for Hsueh two decades ago, now faces the same ordeal. Veteran singer and songwriter Liu Wei-zen was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer last April, and the overwhelming medical costs are more than he can afford. But despite being short on cash, Liu is always rich in friends.

Dozens of singers and entertainers, all of whom Liu's friends, performed at Taipei;s Nangang 101 last Sunday in a fundraising concert for Liu, and paid tribute to the 48-year-old musician who has inspired singers across generations.

"Liu Wei-zen never changes.

He's always like a child.

Always commits himself to music.

What I want to say is that

He has devoted all his love

And passion to music.

To his friends, and to his students.

But he left very little for himself."

Liu's longtime friend, Jin Zhi-juan, sang a duet with a video recording of Liu in a performance reminiscent of American singer Natalie Cole's version of "Unforgettable."

Malaysian singer Eric Woo did a rendition of Liu's 1989 song "Guarding Your Heart," which until then had never been performed in public.

Throughout the evening, Liu was listening to the concert backstage. And the event reached its climax when a group of Christian entertainers sent their best wishes to Liu, who was baptized last month, with the timeless hymn "Because He Lives."

The concert eventually raised nearly 1.3 million NT dollars for the musician.

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