KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 ― The late Hong Kong pop diva Anita Mui's mother Tam Mei Kam has cut off ties with her son, Mui Kai Ming, due to his debts.

The 98-year-old announced her intention in a notice published in local newspapers on Monday, adding that she will have nothing to do with all matters concerning the 70-year-old from now onwards, The Straits Times reported.

According to the portal, Kai Ming is Tam's only surviving child after her three other children succumbed to cancer.

Tam's younger son Tak Ming died of throat cancer at the age of 62 in 2015, elder daughter singer-actress Ann died of cervical cancer at the age of 40 in 2000 while Anita also died of cervical cancer at the age of 40 in December 2003.

Tam and Kai Ming's relationship began to sour in late 2021 when he sued the production company behind the movie Anita (2021) for alleged trademark infringements.

The biopic of the Cantopop superstar featured model Louise Wong in her acting debut as Anita, with actor Terrance Lau playing another late Cantopop legend, Leslie Cheung.

Tam, who has been supportive of her son in the past, accused him of being obsessed with money and issued a statement distancing herself from the lawsuit.

She disclosed that she had cut him off financially six months ago after suspecting that he had a mistress and threatened to disown him if he did not drop the lawsuit.

She made good on her word on Monday and told Hong Kong's Oriental Daily News that she was forced to do so by her son.

According to the newspaper, she resorted to the drastic measure as he approached her frequently for money to pay off his debts.

Tam is currently hospitalised for an illness although it was unclear what she was suffering from.

Contacted for comments, Kai Ming admitted that he was in debt, but claimed it was not a big sum of money.

He said it was incurred from a hotel stay by his son, who had returned from Malaysia.

“My son has to serve 21 days in quarantine when he returned to Hong Kong, with money needed for the stay,” Kai Ming said.

He added his mother had requested her grandson to spend Chinese New Year in Hong Kong.

He accused his relatives of instigating his mother to disown him, saying she had refused to pick up his calls since before Chinese New Year.