The Obituaries of January*
Mr. David Chang…… June 3, 1952 — January 26, 2020
A spokesperson for the Taiwan-based film production conglomerate, Due East Productions, announced the death of beloved film star, Mr. David Chang. Mr. Chang had just completed filming the latest feature by Due East Production, “Unbearable”. He died of a heart attack earlier today.
Mr. Chang was born in the United States after his parents fled Communist China in the 1940s and settled in San Francisco. He grew up in an enclave of other Cantonese families but spent many hours watching movies. In interviews, later in his life, he noted that he learned English in those darkened theaters as well as developing an abiding love of movies. He met his partner, and later husband, Mr. Allan Deane, in drama classes at The American Conservatory Theater. The two relocated to New York City in the 1970s and attended Ute Hagan’s HB Studio, living in a cramped walk-up in Hell’s Kitchen and going to endless rounds of auditions.
Mr. Deane’s career took off before Mr. Chang’s when he was cast in the ensemble cast of the original “A Chorus Line” in 1975. With this success, the two were able to move into a more comfortable apartment on the Upper West Side and Mr. Deane wholly supported Mr. Chang’s continued work in the industry.
When Mr. Chang’s first break came it was from an entirely unexpected direction. A talent scout for the now-defunct Atlas Productions, based in Taiwan, signed Mr. Chang for an exclusive three-picture deal. Mr. Chang often spoke of the toll this took on his relationship with Mr. Deane but both understood that this was a not-to-be-missed opportunity. For the next decade, the two lived on two continents. Mr. Deane’s career was taking off and he had become a Broadway star, but when he was between shows, he’d fly to Taipei and stay with Mr. Chang.
In 1988, Mr. Deane was diagnosed with AIDS and Mr. Chang broke his contract with Atlas Productions to return to New York City and care for Mr. Deane. Although same-sex marriage would not become legal in the United States for decades, the two were joined as husbands in a quiet ceremony in their apartment two weeks before Mr. Deane passed away.
In the years after Mr. Deane’s death, Mr. Chang was cast in smaller independent films in the United States before being recruited by Due East Productions. He relocated to Taipei in 2005 and has since then worked non-stop in a series of action and suspense films in Taiwan. In 2015 he was the lead in a movie, “Guilty as Charged” that swept the awards season taking home a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts).
His funeral will take place in San Francisco where he is survived by his siblings and many cousins. His family requests that donations be made to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in the names of Mr. Chang and Mr. Deane.
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*This is a fictional obituary using a stock photo from a Medium-approved source.