?I Sat There Weeping?: Jackie Chan Couldn?t Control His Emotions After Hearing About Mother?s Tragic News Once

If there ever were a list of unconventional parent-child relationships, Jackie Chan and his mother would definitely make it on there. As uncommon as their relationship might have been, he has always expressed that she was a woman who understood him, no matter what. Chan, and his parents, had a difficult life growing up. Chan’s mother was a gambler and an opium dealer and his father was a spy.

The life of Lee-Lee Chan, Chan’s mother, and Charles Chan, Chan’s father, was shrouded in mystery before Chan came into the world. In fact, Chan had no idea what his parents actually did until much later in his life. His parents made numerous sacrifices, as immigrants, to make sure that Jackie Chan had a good life growing up, much better than they ever did. In his autobiography, Chan talks about his mother in a very emotional manner.

Jackie Chan was heartbroken after his mother’s death

Even though Chan was devastated, unfortunately, he could not be with his mother on her deathbed. He was engaged in the shooting of a film. In his autobiography, Never Grow Up, Chan recalls, “I was in Thailand filming The Medallion at the time. I?d just set up a shot when someone said, ‘Jackie, you have a call from home.'” This was when he got the tragic news of his mother’s passing.

“It was the hospital. My mother was gone,” he said, “I hung up and immediately shouted, ?Move the camera over there, and let?s keep rolling.? No one on set knew what had happened.” Nonetheless, Jackie Chan was a child who had just lost his mother. He kept it together until the shoot was over, however, the dam of his emotions finally broke. He writes, “After we were done with that scene, I found a Jeep at the studio, opened the door, got in, and started crying. I sat there weeping for a very long time.”

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Jackie Chan’s autobiography is a collection of insights from his personal life. He has dedicated many pages to his parents. He also described the circumstances under which his parents passed away and revealed how he could not be there for any of his parents when they died.

Chan revealed the circumstances surrounding his mother’s death

Jackie Chan penned down an anecdote in Never Grow Up which highlighted the sacrifices that Lee-Lee Chan had to make for her son. He wrote that his mother, after working as a servant for 10 years and saving all of her tips, could only gather $870. His mother then asked him, “Son, could you lend me one hundred thirty dollars?” His mother wanted to round off the amount to $1000. Chan felt so bad that he immediately gave her $10,000.? Jackie Chan’s mother was terminally sick, and their private doctor had told Chan, “There?s no hope for a recovery. All she can do now is hang on for as long as she can.”

After hearing the news, Chan recalls his reaction, “I talked to Mom on the phone and was sorry to tell her that I had to go, that my movie wasn?t finished yet, and that I was needed on set. I don?t know if she heard, but she definitely understood.” It is unfathomable, the difficult choice that Chan had to make at that point. He added, “If I could have sat by her side every day, holding her hand and talking to her until she woke up, then I would have, but that was impossible.” Chan’s mother passed away on February 28, 2002.

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While losing his mother was a tragedy beyond comprehension, one that left a hole in his heart and his life, maybe one good thing came out of it. Chan’s half-sister came to take care of his mother during her illness. This way, Chan got to make the acquaintance of his long-lost sisters.