The death of renowned Chinese singer and musician Liu Huan has prompted an outpouring of tributes—and renewed public attention on his decades-long partnership with his wife, Lu Lu.
According to the report, Liu died in Shanghai at 9:52 am on Sept 25 at the age of 63 after an illness. After the news broke, stories about the couple's relationship circulated widely online, including an oft-repeated claim that Lu married Liu after knowing him for just nine days because "looks didn't matter as long as he was talented." Lu has publicly rejected that description, calling it a shameless rumor and insisting that Liu was "handsome" when they met.
The report revisits a 2013 television appearance in which host Dou Wentao said Lu had once asked him to address two recurring narratives about Liu's appearance. One involved media discussion that focused heavily on Liu's "short neck," which Lu found unfair and upsetting. Dou recalled Lu saying she hoped female viewers would see Liu as good-looking and would "like Liu Huan," because that would make her happy.
Lu also disputed reports portraying her as settling for Liu because of his talent. In the same discussion, she offered an explanation for Liu's later weight gain, saying it was linked to her postpartum period: she struggled to eat nutritional foods prepared for her after childbirth, and Liu ended up consuming them instead. Liu, who was present for the conversation, agreed with the account and added that he had been slim in his younger years, recalling that he weighed about 52 kilograms when he went to teach in Ningxia after graduating from university.
Public information cited in the report describes Lu as a mainland Chinese host, program editor, and producer, with previous work at Hunan TV. The couple have said they fell in love at first sight. Their first encounter dates back to preparations for a 1988 New Year's gala, when Lu served as both host and assistant director and traveled to Beijing to invite Liu to perform. After Liu later went to Changsha for the show, the two traveled together to Zhangjiajie for a few days. By the time they parted, Liu had proposed—after knowing each other for only nine days.
They registered their marriage on June 8, 1988, and remained together for 38 years. The report notes that Liu once wrote a song for his wife titled "Lu Lu," and that the couple marked their 25th wedding anniversary in Greece in 2013.
In the days following Liu's death, musician Wuladuoen, described as one of Liu's students, was quoted as remembering him as humorous, approachable, and broadly knowledgeable beyond music. She also said she saw Lu post a message on social media mourning her husband: "My eternal love, my eternal pain."
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