JJ Lin, A-do pay tribute to music mentor Eric Lin, who died on Sunday
TAIPEI – Singaporean singers JJ Lin and A-do have both posted tributes to their mentor, famed Taiwanese songwriter Eric Lin.
Eric Lin died on Sunday at the age of 62, two weeks after a liver transplant from his eldest son. He had suffered from liver cirrhosis in recent years.
His wife, singer-songwriter Hsiung Mei-ling, made the announcement on social media on Monday.
Known for penning the lyrics of hits such as JJ Lin’s Cao Cao, A-do’s Dark and Kit Chan’s Heartache, Eric Lin was once head of Taiwanese record company Ocean Butterflies, and was instrumental in launching the Singaporean singers’ careers in the region.
JJ Lin, 41, posted an old photo of himself with A-do, Eric Lin and Hsiung on Instagram and wrote of his mentor: “In my heart, you will always be a great benefactor.
“You were my parent in the music world who witnessed my growth from a confused boy. We worked together as I did not know how to express myself, using several songs to document our lives,” he said, adding that he would miss the late-night chats with his “musical hero”.
More than 20 of JJ Lin’s songs were written by Eric Lin, who had also written hit songs for Taiwanese singer A-mei (Cutting Love, Listen To The Sea), Hong Kong singer-actor Andy Lau (Thank You For Your Love), veteran singer Tracy Huang (Crying Sand) and Taiwanese singer Stella Chang (I’m Still Young).
On Weibo, A-do, 49, posted a link to his song, Leave, with lyrics by Eric Lin and music composed by Hsiung. He wrote: “I am very grateful to Teacher Lin for his guidance and teaching. He always encouraged me to persevere.
“Without Teacher Lin, I would not have the achievements I have today.”
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