Elizabeth Sung, a veteran actress whose three-decade career included stints on such small screen classics as The Sopranos and The Young and the Restless, died on Tuesday.
She was only 63 years old.
The Associated Press confirmed this sad news late Friday, but not provide any additional details.
Sung was likely best known to television fans for her popular run on The Young and the Restless.
From 1994 through 1996, she portrayed Luan Violen Abbott, the owner of the Saigon Shack restaurant, on this beloved CBS soap opera.
The character was married to Jack Abbott, played by Peter Bergman, until her passing.
But if this was considered the highlight of Sung’s career, it was merely one stop among a great many.
Sung had over 90 credits on her resume, starting with a 1988 episode of The Equalizer, according to her IMDb page.
She also appeared in the films Tango & Cash (1989), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), The Joy Luck Club (1993) and House Under Siege (2010), among other films.
Sung and Burton covered this old edition of Soap Opera Digest.
In the world of television, Sung guest-starred on nearly too many shows to even list.
Among them: episodes of CSI, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bones, NCIS: Los Angeles, Elementary, Shameless, Mike & Molly, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, House, Crossing Jordan, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, The Night Shift, Flashforward, Passions, ER, Touched by an Angel and Knots Landing.
Sung was born in Hong Kong.
Multiple outlets have confirmed she was fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin, having earned a BFA in dance from Julliard.
Moreover, Sung was a member of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and had an MFI in directing from the American Film Institute.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sung was a strong supporter of AIDS charities after her older brother died of the disease back in 1985.
Sung is survived by her husband, screenwriter Peter Tulipan.
“SAG-AFTRA is saddened by the loss of soap pioneer, dedicated unionist and #sagaftramember Elizabeth Sung,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement on Twitter.
A handful of celebrities also took to Twitter to mourn her death, such as actor Carl Weathers, who wrote:
RIP Elizabeth Sung. Your lovliness and talent are unmatched. #BePeace.
And Ming-Na Wen:
I was shocked and sadden ro hear about the passing of Elizabeth Sung. #TheJoyLuckClub sisters/family mourn the loss of this lovely, talented lady.
Too soon, too sudden. My heart goes out to Peter, her family & friends. RIP.
We share these same sentiments.
May Elizabeth Sung rest in peace.
