Chinese pianist Liu Shikun, 84, welcomes 2nd child with wife, 47, plans to have more kids

Age is just a number.

Daniel Seow | October 25, 2023, 11:44 PM

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WhatsappFor Chinese piano maestro Liu Shikun, age is just a number.

After all, 84-year-old Liu and his wife, Samantha Sun, 47, recently announced the birth of their second child, Liu Timtim, according to mainland Chinese media.

Sina Online reported that Sun shared the good news of the boy's birth in a WeChat group chat with friends on Oct. 17.

She wrote, "With tears in my eyes, I welcome the newest member of our family, Liu Timtim, weighing 7.3 pounds, to this beautiful world."

Newborn Liu Timtim, 84-year-old Liu Shikun's second child (a boy). Image from Weibo.

Second child with Sun within three years

This makes it two children in a span of three years for the famous composer and pianist, who doesn't appear to be slowing down on this front despite being in his 80s.

He joins a list of celebrities who became dads in their golden years, narrowly eking out actor Al Pacino, who fathered his fourth child at the age of 83, in June, according to the BBC.

Sun is his third wife, and the two share a 37-year age gap.

Liu has two other sons from his first two marriages.

His eldest son from his first marriage close to 60 years old, making him over a decade Sun's senior, while his son from his second marriage is 28 years old, according to various Chinese reports.

Hired six nannies for his first child with Sun

In 2020, he and Sun had their first child together, named Beibei. The girl was born in the U.S.

Liu Shikun and Samantha Sun had their first child, Beibei, in 2020, when he was already 81. Image from Weibo.

Liu hired six nannies for Beibei. Three were placed in charge of her diet and the other three were given  responsibility for her personal care, according to Toutiao.

Liu has also shelled out a small fortune to the tune of HKS$500 million (S$87.3 million) for Beibei's education fund.

Keen to have more children: Sun

In a previous interview, Sun had shared that as she and Liu were getting on in years, they wanted to have more children, maybe "two or three", to provide Beibei companionship as she grew up, Sina Online reported.

Liu is a decorated pianist and composer who has received numerous awards in both domestic and international piano competitions, according to China Daily.

In August, he received the Most Outstanding Asian Artist Lifetime Achievement Award, which is one of the most prestigious honours awarded to Asian artists in the United States.

Top image from 吃菜的悟空 / 辣条炎 on Weibo.