Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho, who passed away on Tuesday (May 26) at the age of 98, was known for many things, including the fact that he had 16 children with four women, all of whom he called his wives (even though he was only legally married to two of them).
Stanley Ho is known as 'The King of Gambling'. He's responsible for the rise of Macau as a gambling haven. He is also Macau's wealthiest person and among the richest in Asia. Stanley Ho has four wives and seventeen children in total, and Mario Ho is the youngest living son. More about Mario Ho. (Hongkong May, 26) Hong Kong-Macau business magnate, investor, and philanthropist Stanley Ho Hung-sun has died at the age of 98. Stanley was born in 1921 in Guangzhou. He had 4 wives and 17 children. A rift has surfaced among gaming magnate Stanley Ho Hung-sun's next of kin over his two family trusts. Deborah Ho, a daughter of the tycoon's deceased first wife Clementina Leitao, triggered a. Stanley Ho's family life was as prosperous and flourishing as his business affairs. He would go on to marry four women who would give him 17 children in total, as polygamy was legal in Hong Kong until 1971. The Lanceford Dispute. Things began going sideways in 2011, when Stanley Ho underwent brain surgery, resulting in a seven-month hospital. The King of Gambler (Stanley Ho Hung-sun) has 4 wives.how it works? His daughter disclosed this!
His first wife, Clementina Leitão, was known as 'the most beautiful woman in Macau' and came from a prestigious family of Portuguese barristers and officials. Stanley was head over heels in love with Clementina and pursued her passionately, meeting her after work every day and even taking Portuguese language classes at night for her.
- 1/7Stanley and his first wife Clementina (Photo: Apple Daily)
The couple tied the knot in 1942 and had four children together. Sadly, their son Robert was killed in a traffic accident at the age of 33. Their daughter Jane also passed away in 2014 at the age of 67 after suffering from a rare blood vessel disease. Younger daughters Angela and Deborah are still alive and were recently in a high-profile rift over family trusts.
Clementina herself was in two car crashes in 1952 and 1973, the second of which left her wheelchair-bound and requiring 24-hour care. She died in 2004 at the age of 80.
- 2/7Stanley and his second wife Lucina Laam (Photo: Apple Daily)
Stanley reportedly met Lucina Laam at a ball when she was just 14 years old. He took her as his second wife in 1957 while still being married to Clementina, a practice made possible under a Qing dynasty law that allowed polygamy in Hongkong until it was outlawed in 1971. However, Deborah claimed that her mother became a heavy drinker and smoker after Lucina came into the picture, which suggests that she wasn't exactly pleased with the arrangement.
For many years, Lucina accompanied Stanley to social gatherings and charity events, and they became known as the 'Dancing Queen' and 'Dancing King'. The couple had five children together: Pansy, Daisy, Maisy, and Lawrence, who took over their dad's businesses, and Josie, a singer and actress.
In 1985, Lucina, now in her 70s, immigrated to Canada to take care of her elderly father and manage Stanley's businesses over there.
- 3/7Stanley and his third 'wife' Ina Chan (Photo: Apple Daily)
Ina Chan was hired as a private nurse to take care of Clementina in the ‘70s. It was once rumoured that Clementina was the one who played matchmaker for Ina and Stanley to help expand the Ho clan and, um, to teach Lucina a lesson (which sounds too dramatic to be true, but with these real-life Crazy Rich Asians, who knows?).
Ina became Stanley's third 'wife' in 1985 and she bore him three children, Florinda, Laurinda, and Orlando. The 67-year-old is now a successful businesswoman in her own right, serving as the chairwoman of a company that manages real estate, retail, hospitality, leisure, and transportation investment projects.
- 4/7Stanley and his fourth 'wife' Angela Leong (Photo: Apple Daily)
The year after Stanley made Ina his 'wife', he met Angela Leong, then a dance instructor, at a private ball, where he was the guest of honour. They started living together in 1989, but it wasn't until 1998 when he publicly acknowledged their relationship. By then, they already had three kids together, Sabrina, Arnaldo, and Mario. However, when Sabrina was born in 1990, Stanley had said, 'All the mothers of my children are my wives.'
The youngest of all of Stanley's children, daughter Alice, was born to him and Angela in 1999. The couple was previously thought to have a fifth child, a son named Ho Yau Kai, but Sabrina has revealed that he never existed and clarified that the pictures of him circulating online are actually of Ina's son Orlando as a child.
The absence of a 'Ho Yau Kai' in Stanley's obituary seems to confirm this, which means that he actually fathered 16 kids, not 17 as widely reported.
It's very confusing, we know.
- 5/7
- 6/7
- 7/7By the way, this is what Stanley looked like when he was young
Photos: Apple Daily, Laurinda Ho/Instagram, Sabrina Ho/Weibo
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© SCMP Deborah Ho has requested her elder sister Angela to elaborate on the amount and state of property of the family trusts. Photo: Edward WongA rift has surfaced among gaming magnate Stanley Ho Hung-sun's next of kin over his two family trusts.
Deborah Ho, a daughter of the tycoon's deceased first wife Clementina Leitao, triggered a legal action in the High Court last Tuesday by asking her elder sister, Angela Ho Chiu-yin, who is the trustee of The Clementina Ho Trust and The Stanley and Clementina Family Trusts, to provide her with deeds and documents related to changes to the trusts' arrangement.
Deborah, as a beneficiary, also requested Angela elaborate on the amount and state of property of the trusts.
Trust deeds, deeds involving removal and appointment of trustees, information of changes in the structure of the trusts, full trust accounts and financial statements and documents concerning remuneration received by Angela or other previous trustees were among the information she is seeking.
Casino tycoon Stanley Ho's son paid US$64 million for Hong Kong
Deborah also requested that her sister provide copies of all communications that had been made between Angela or other previous trustees and their legal advisers.
The minutes of three meetings between Angela and the beneficiaries, including herself, between 2013 and 2015 in her lawyers' firm, and the minutes and PowerPoint slides relating to a meeting on January 15 in the same location were also requested.
The documents must be handed over within seven days after the court made the orders.
© Provided by South China Morning Post Angela Ho's lawyers issued a statement terming the legal action 'unfortunate'. Photo: David WongA Friday statement Angela's lawyers issued on her behalf said it was unfortunate her sister had issued proceedings against her to obtain the documents.
It said under Angela's management, the trusts had outperformed the market and had been operating in a compliant manner. All beneficiaries' needs had been taken care of equally, and Deborah had not been denied any access to information relating to the trusts, it said.
The trusts had held annual meetings to reveal to all beneficiaries the status of its assets and performances. Deborah's questions were also addressed during the meetings.
Stanley Ho's four-decade grip on the world's biggest casino hub
'Deborah claims that she is ill in Macau and poor, and this is unfortunately a fabrication as she has received distributions annually on time and has received around HK$97 million (US$12.5 million),' it said.
Angela was quoted as saying: 'I am very sad and dismayed that all the family members have been dragged into this matter due to Deborah's unnecessary and disruptive actions.'
'King of Gambling' Stanley Ho, 98, one of Asia's richest men, monopolised the gaming industry in Macau until 2002, when the casino hub's government introduced foreign investors.
Stanley Ho Wives Pictures
The Hong Kong-Macau business magnate co-founded SJM Holdings in 1962, which owns nineteen casinos in Macau including the Grand Lisboa. He has four wives and 17 children.
Help us understand what you are interested in so that we can improve SCMP and provide a better experience for you. We would like to invite you to take this five-minute survey on how you engage with SCMP and the news.
Casino tycoon Stanley Ho's son paid US$64 million for Hong Kong
Deborah also requested that her sister provide copies of all communications that had been made between Angela or other previous trustees and their legal advisers.
The minutes of three meetings between Angela and the beneficiaries, including herself, between 2013 and 2015 in her lawyers' firm, and the minutes and PowerPoint slides relating to a meeting on January 15 in the same location were also requested.
The documents must be handed over within seven days after the court made the orders.
© Provided by South China Morning Post Angela Ho's lawyers issued a statement terming the legal action 'unfortunate'. Photo: David WongA Friday statement Angela's lawyers issued on her behalf said it was unfortunate her sister had issued proceedings against her to obtain the documents.
It said under Angela's management, the trusts had outperformed the market and had been operating in a compliant manner. All beneficiaries' needs had been taken care of equally, and Deborah had not been denied any access to information relating to the trusts, it said.
The trusts had held annual meetings to reveal to all beneficiaries the status of its assets and performances. Deborah's questions were also addressed during the meetings.
Stanley Ho's four-decade grip on the world's biggest casino hub
'Deborah claims that she is ill in Macau and poor, and this is unfortunately a fabrication as she has received distributions annually on time and has received around HK$97 million (US$12.5 million),' it said.
Angela was quoted as saying: 'I am very sad and dismayed that all the family members have been dragged into this matter due to Deborah's unnecessary and disruptive actions.'
'King of Gambling' Stanley Ho, 98, one of Asia's richest men, monopolised the gaming industry in Macau until 2002, when the casino hub's government introduced foreign investors.
Stanley Ho Wives Pictures
The Hong Kong-Macau business magnate co-founded SJM Holdings in 1962, which owns nineteen casinos in Macau including the Grand Lisboa. He has four wives and 17 children.
Help us understand what you are interested in so that we can improve SCMP and provide a better experience for you. We would like to invite you to take this five-minute survey on how you engage with SCMP and the news.
Stanley Ho's Daughter Jane Ho
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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