BANGKOK: New details about the final hours of Teresa Teng have emerged 31 years after her sudden death.
The Taiwanese singer died on May 8, 1995, in Chiang Mai while on holiday, aged 42.
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She had long struggled with asthma and suffered a severe attack while staying at the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel.
She was later pronounced dead from respiratory failure at Chiang Mai Ram Hospital.
No autopsy was conducted at the time after her partner, Frenchman Paul Quilery, who was not present during the incident, requested that her body not be examined.
Her former personal butler in Thailand, known as Billy, has now spoken publicly for the first time about the events of that day.
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In an interview shared by Chinese influencer “Chiang Mai Xiao Yang Yang”, Billy said the singer appeared “normal” when he delivered her breakfast that morning.
He said her condition deteriorated in the afternoon after she exercised and took a bath while Quilery was out.
By the time he realised something was wrong and alerted the hotel manager, her condition had become critical.
Billy said she did not have any emergency medication with her and that her hands and feet began to spasm and go numb.
He added that heavy traffic delayed their journey to the hospital, causing them to miss a crucial window for treatment.
Billy said they only learned she had bathed after exercising when police later checked the room, adding that he did not know how long she had remained inside.
“I didn’t know she was bathing, I don’t know how long she stayed inside, and if she felt unwell, she would have come out. I could not go in,” he said, expressing lingering regret.
He said the incident has weighed heavily on him and that he has since learned first aid to be better prepared for emergencies.
Billy also said he had been instructed by hotel management to remain silent at the time and was made to change his name, adding that he is only now able to speak after those restrictions were lifted.
