Dick Lee still blames himself for sister's death in 1983: 'Indirectly, I had something to do with it'
Joanne Soh
The Straits Times
Oct 23, 2025
Home-grown music and theatre icon Dick Lee was put in the hot seat on the CNA Insider programme The Assembly on Oct 22, opening up about his younger sister Patricia's death in 1983.
She died in a car accident at the age of 24 on Aug 23, a day before Lee's 26th birthday.
The Assembly features a panel of neurodivergent individuals asking Singapore celebrities and prominent figures unfiltered questions.
Lee, 69, revealed on the first episode of the second season of the interview series that he was still feeling guilt, when he was asked by Singaporean poet and aspiring journalist Stephanie Fam, who has cerebral palsy, about why he blamed himself for Patricia's passing.
"Indirectly, I had something to do with it," the singer-composer replied.
Lee explained that ever since he was 14, he always had a big birthday party. That fateful year, when he was turning 26, he was busy running his new event company Runway Productions, and he did not have a birthday party for the first time in 12 years.
Before his birthday, Patricia went to Tioman Island in Malaysia for a holiday with her friends and fiance. Their mother, who was in Malaysia's Cameron Highlands at the time, then asked Patricia to join her there.
On the day before Lee's birthday, while Patricia and her fiance were driving to Tioman, the car she was in hit a bus and she was killed.
Patricia was Lee's only sister. He has three younger brothers.
Lee said their mother also blamed herself because she had asked Patricia to join her.
"If I had my party, they would all have come back, and maybe they'd still be around. Since then, I've had my birthday party without fail," said the Cultural Medallion recipient, adding that he still misses his sister.
Lee addressed this painful chapter of his life in his biographical musical film Wonder Boy (2017).
Patricia, played by local actress Michelle Wong in his directorial debut, was portrayed as the one who encouraged Lee to pursue his music dream. She is also seen trying to mend the estranged relationship between Lee and their parents. Local singer-actor Benjamin Kheng played Lee in the movie.
On The Assembly, Fam later told Lee not to blame himself, to which he agreed.
"You learn to overcome - life is full of ups and downs, and you just don't dwell on the downs. I prefer to think about the good things," he said.
"Sometimes, even if there are not many, you still celebrate them. Make them important."
