Chí Tài
Chí Tài or Nguyễn Chí Tài (August 15, 1958 – December 9, 2020) was a Vietnamese comedian, musician, and singer. Initially starting as a composer and singer in the 1990s, he later became famous for his comedy performances alongside his co-star Hoài Linh. Biography. From 1976 to 1977, Chí Tài participated in the founding of the "Lướt Sóng" band. He played as a guitarist during the "Ca khúc chính trị" (Political Song) movement of the Youth Union in Phú Nhuận District, Ho Chi Minh City. In 1981, Chí Tài migrated to the United States. He intended to start  a new life in the US by studying English and computers, as well as taking a break from artistic activities. However, he retained his passion for arts despite his family's objections. Later, Chí Tài enrolled in a piano and a jazz class near his house. His father agreed to spend a pension to buy him an electronic sound system, including drums and musical instruments, so that he could form a young music group. He then formed the family band "Chi Tai's Brothers". During the early days of its establishment, Chi Tai's Brothers was welcomed to perform at  weddings and community events. The band has performed continuously for Thúy Nga center since Paris By Night 18 (Chí Tài himself collaborated with Thúy Nga since Paris By Night 15 as a harmony musician). Chí Tài later opened a studio to record the performances of Vietnamese overseas singers, ghost stories by Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn, etc. The soundtracks in the comedies of Paris By Night were all composed by Chí Tài himself. His music's fun, youthful and catchy harmonies made Chí Tài one of the leading Vietnamese remix musicians overseas at that time. In 1997, Chí Tài had the opportunity  to perform with Hoài Linh due to a shortage of actors. In 2000, Chí Tài switched to working as a comedian. He regularly appeared in various shows of Paris By Night – alongside , Trang Thanh Lan, Kiều Linh, Uyên Chi, Kiều Oanh, Lê Tín, Hoài Linh, Thúy Nga, Hoài Tâm, Việt Hương, Hương Thủy, Bé Tí… Personal life. In 1987, Chí Tài married singer Phương Loan. The couple agreed not to have children – so that he would be able to focus on his career. During an interview in 2019, he said that he couldn't help but feel disappointed and regretful  because he didn't have a child to follow in his footsteps. Death. On December 9, 2020, at Phú Nhuận, Ho Chi Minh City, Chí Tài was confirmed to have died at the hospital from a stroke. He was discovered lying motionless on the stairs of the 7th floor with his phone at the Botanic apartment building. Although an ambulance was immediately dispatched to take him to the emergency hospital, in the end Chí Tài did not survive and died at 13:35 the same day. Previously, Chí Tài was known to have a history of diabetes. Phương Loan – Chí Tài 's wife – wanted to bring her husband back to the US for burial. Hoài Linh – Chí Tài's colleague and close friend, who had stayed with him in the last minutes – was authorized by his family to take care of this. Visitation was held at the Ministry of Defense Funeral Home No. 5 Pham Ngu Lao Street, Ward 3, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City on December 12 – in accordance with Catholic rites. A large number of Vietnamese artists and thousands of fans were present. The same afternoon, the coffin was brought to Tân Sơn Nhất airport to be  brought back to the US according to the family's wishes.