Singer and Jewish community patron Na Tang dies at age 59

Taipei, Oct. 30 (CNA) Taiwanese singer Na Tang (坣娜), who was also a prominent figure in the Jewish community in Taiwan, has died at the age of 59, her musician friend Tommy Chi (季忠平) confirmed on Wednesday.

"With a song we collaborated on, praying for [your] peaceful return to the world of the Lord," Chi wrote in a Facebook post. "My tears are as hot as the aches of the heart."

Tang's passing was first reported earlier Wednesday by TVBS News, which said she had died on Oct. 16.

CNA has been unable to reach Tang's assistants to obtain any further details about her death.

Tang, the co-founder of the Jeffrey D. Schwartz NaTang Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association (JTCA), made her last personal Facebook post on June 8.

When the news of her passing broke, her Facebook page was flooded with tributes. One of the posts featured a video of Tang singing the Jewish prayer "Avinu Malkeinu" (Our Father, Our King). The video was first released on her YouTube channel five years ago.

Tang was a well-known public figure in Taiwan, with careers as a singer, actress, and yoga instructor.

In the international community in Taiwan, however, she was best known as a patron of the JTCA, a non-profit organization that she co-founded with her husband Jeffrey D. Schwartz.

Through the association, the couple established the Jeffrey D. Schwartz Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Taipei in December 2021 to serve the Jewish community in Taiwan and provide information to others interested in Jewish culture and religion.

The JCC hosts Taiwan's first synagogue, a museum, and a Jewish ritual pool called a mikveh, which is used for purification and spiritual cleansing.

Tang and Schwartz also established the Kosher Culinary Lab to promote kosher cuisine in Taiwan.

In the early 2000s, Tang stepped away from the entertainment industry, citing the lingering effects of a devastating car accident in 1993.

She took up yoga, which she said became a lifestyle and a means of rehabilitation from injuries she sustained in the accident.

She later published several books about yoga, becoming the first Taiwanese celebrity to do so, and she occasionally made cameo appearances on screen and on stage throughout the years.

Her discography includes fan favorites such as "Longing For Love" (奢求) and "Freedom" (自由). She has also appeared in films like "Clash of the Professionals" (闖將) and the TV drama "Pearl Love" (還君明珠).

Tang is survived by her husband.