Mediacorp actress Hong Ling’s mother dies at age 52: 'Just as she began to live for herself, she was taken away'

Kaewsoda Kesorn, the mother of Mediacorp actress Hong Ling, died on Sunday (Feb 23). She was 52. The 30-year-old Your World In Mine star posted a tribute to her late mother on Instagram on Monday.

“My beautiful and loving mummy, she is Thai, and when she came to Singapore, she knew nothing – not the language, not the culture,” wrote Hong Ling. 

“A mother’s love for her child. Afraid that I would be laughed at by my classmates for speaking Thai, she forced herself to learn Chinese from scratch, just so she could help me fit in,” the actress added. 

According to Hong Ling, whenever she came home, her mother would be in the kitchen – cooking her favourite Thai dishes so that she always had a taste of home. 

“Even in her final days, after chemotherapy had drained her, she still cooked for the whole family, worried that we wouldn't get to eat her home-cooked meals anymore,” she continued. 

“It was as if she was trying to give us one last piece of her, knowing her time was running out.”

She said that her mother was someone who always put her family first before herself and spent her entire life caring for the family. 

“She was still so young,” Hong Ling said. 

She explained that her mother only started to pursue her own happiness three years ago by doing hobbies such as gardening, practising tai chi and hiking. 

“But just as she began to live for herself, she was taken away,” Hong Ling said. 

“She is no longer in pain. My dad and I were by her side when she left. We will see her again. Soon.”

Hong Ling’s husband and fellow actor Nick Teo also announced his mother-in-law’s passing on Instagram on Monday. 

He said: “My mother-in-law passed away yesterday. The wake will be held this afternoon onwards.”

Kaewsoda Kesorn's wake is being held at Woodlands and her cortege will depart at 10am on Thursday.