Lucina Laam Dead
Lucina Laam, the second wife of late casino magnate Stanley Ho, died after a protracted battle with cancer. She was 79 years old at the time.
Lucina died on June 11 at Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, where she had been hospitalized for the previous year, according to sources.
Her condition deteriorated about a week ago and was sent to the intensive care unit.
Lucina, who was the daughter of a Chinese soldier, met Stanley at a ball in the ‘50s.
In 1957, when she was just 14, Stanley took her as his second wife while still married to first wife, Clementina Leitão, a practice made possible under a Qing Dynasty law that allowed polygamy in Hongkong. Polygamy was eventually outlawed in 1971.
The couple shared a passion for ballroom dancing and was once dubbed “dancing king and queen”. Lucina often accompanied Stanley to social gatherings and charity events.
All of her children, with the exception of Josie, who is a singer, have followed in their father’s entrepreneurial footsteps and are well-known members of society.
Pansy, who has a net worth of HK$31.8 billion (S$6 billion) and is Hong Kong’s second richest woman, took over her father’s firm after his death.
Julian Hui, a millionaire who is currently married to former actress Michelle Reis, was her first husband.
