Veteran artist Le Tham has passed away.

Artist Le Tham

Playwright Duc Hien shared that artist Le Tham suffered from several underlying health conditions, and on January 15th, while taking a walk in the grounds of the Ho Chi Minh City Artists' Retirement Home (District 8), she fainted.

"We took her to People's Hospital 115 for treatment, and she regained consciousness. At that time, she requested to go to her nephew's house in Can Duoc, Long An , because there would be no one to take care of her at the artists' nursing home while she was in such a serious condition. On January 17th, her nephew informed her that she had passed away at 9:15 AM. She was 87 years old."

"On January 19th, her cremation ceremony was held at Da Phuoc Cemetery, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City," playwright Duc Hien emotionally stated.

Artist Nguyen Thi Tham, stage name Le Tham, was born in 1937 in Bac Lieu . From the age of 4-5, she began singing, and by the age of 17, she was the leading actress in major theater troupes, managing the Nhi Huong - Tuan Si Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) troupe.

With her beautiful figure and powerful voice, she was beloved by audiences and considered an idol by many. She was one of the first artists whom People's Artist Phùng Há brought to live at the Ho Chi Minh City Artists' Retirement Home.

Artist Le Tham in her youth

Throughout her artistic career, she played many famous roles on the Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) stage, such as: Dao Tien (in the play "Dao Tien on Cat Mountain"), Kieu Nguyet Nga (in the play "The Story of Kieu"), Mong Cam (in the play "The Love Story of the Poet Selling the Moon"), the Empress (in the play "The Soldier of Phu Tang"), the mute mother (in the play "The Silent Heart"), Teacher Thuy (in the play "The Song of the Kindred Spirit"), Tam (in the play "Tam Cam")…

She has also acted in television and film productions such as: "The Buffalo's Season", "The Royal Candle", "Love Slope", "The Whirlwind of Love"...

From left to right: Artist Le Tham, Meritorious Artist Dieu Hien, People's Artist Kim Cuong and artist Ngoc Dang at the Ho Chi Minh City Artists' Retirement Home (Photo: Thanh Hiep)

During her lifetime, she often confided that she and her husband had worked with various theater troupes for nearly 15 years. After the troupes disbanded, she moved on to sing with the Saigon 3 troupe of artist Nam Hung. That was the last troupe she performed with before being granted residence at an artists' retirement home in 1996.

Veteran artists at the Artists' Retirement Home were moved when they recalled the passing of artist Le Tham. On her last day, they were unable to be by her coffin to light incense. In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon, the Artists' Retirement Home lost a colleague who always cared for and looked after her fellow artists.

"I cherished artist Le Tham from the time she was involved in the management board of the Artists' Retirement Home, so she knew the personalities, hobbies, and life stories of each artist, and she encouraged and shared with them. It's as if artist Le Tham wasn't there to help with the post-Tet house cleaning," said playwright Duc Hien.

For Meritorious Artist Diệu Hiền, artist Lệ Thẩm was a friend who shared many joys and sorrows during their time together at the Artists' Retirement Home. "I considered her a close friend. Now she's gone forever. All I can do is light an incense stick to bid her farewell with sorrow," said Meritorious Artist Diệu Hiền, tears streaming down her face.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nghe-si-lao-thanh-le-tham-qua-doi-19624012212440878.htm