S'pore DJ, 37, dies of stroke 100 days after his mum, 74, succumbed to cancer

A 74-year-old grandmother passed away from breast cancer about three months ago.

Tragically, just over 100 days later, her 37-year-old son suffered a stroke and died in his sleep on Nov. 5, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Huang Kaien (transliteration) worked as a DJ and leaves behind a 10-year-old son, said his brother Huang Kaiwei (transliteration).

The late DJ lived with his parents, his son, and a domestic helper in a flat in Bukit Batok.

Having divorced eight years ago, he had been raising his son alone since the child was two years old.

"My mother just left us in July this year due to breast cancer," Huang Kaiwei said. "I never expected that just over 100 days later, my younger brother would also suddenly be gone."

Unexpected

Huang Kaiwei recounted the day of his brother's passing to Shin Min.

He recalled that his nephew had came home from school to find his father lying on the ground.

He tried to wake his father up, but after his attempts failed, he called his uncle for help.

At the time, Huang Kaiwei was at work and could not leave immediately, and thus called his cousin to go check on him.

But his brother had already passed away.

The cause of death, according to doctors, was a stroke.

He added that though his brother had high blood pressure, he never spoke of any other ailments in his daily life.

"He worked about three to four days a week, going to nightclubs to deejay when hired."

This lifestyle involved busy weekends, late hours, and frequent drinking, which Huang Kaiwei speculated might have had an impact on his health:

"My mother had always lived with my younger brother and doted on him. They had a deep bond.

But that's life – no one can predict the future."

Chased his dreams

Huang Kaien became a DJ two years ago, his brother said.

It was always his dream.

Before, he had been helping out with the family business, working as a public relations manager at a logistics and transportation company for nearly 10 years.

But he then started pursuing his dream of making deejaying his career, signing up for classes and buying equipment to practise at home.

It took him two years of practice before he mustered up the courage to do it full-time.

Loved and cherished

Huang Kaiwei told Shin Min that his brother was cheerful and optimistic, which was evident by who attended his wake.

Nearly a hundred friends attended the memorial service.

"I didn't know he had so many friends, but now I could see that he had friends from all age groups and races, which showed that he was really welcomed by everyone," he said.

He also recalled how his brother, despite being a single father, tried his best to find time to be with his son: "Every day, after school, he would bring him to have a meal. They'd go prawning or go to buffets and so on."

His son will be cared for by relatives.