Hong Kong film producer and night club owner Colette Koo died on Monday, aged 50, following complications related to cancer.

Born in the UK, Koo moved to Hong Kong with her family as a child and started her career working on films such as Shanghai Surprise, The Last Emperor and Empire Of The Sun. She returned to the UK, aged 30, to study at drama school and acted in several theatre productions and TV series including police drama Backup.

More recently, she established the Hong Kong-based production company Hippopotamus Films and produced films including Wushu, starring Sammo Hung and directed by her long-time partner Anthony Szeto.

A self-confessed social butterfly, Koo also co-founded popular Hong Kong night club Drop and the FINDS restaurant in the Lan Kwai Fong district of Hong Kong.

Koo was a warm, supportive and inspirational figure in both the Hong Kong entertainment scene and the local film industry. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her.