“Born in Gympie, Queensland, Rivers moved to HK in 1988 and went on to become one of the best-known Cantonese-speaking foreign actors in Hong Kong television,” he wrote. “My sincere condolences to Rivers’ family and many friends.”

Less than 40 years ago, Rivers bought a one-way ticket to Hong Kong to work as an English teacher. He met his wife, Bonnie Cheung, in the city and later secured a contract with TVB, the leading local free television broadcaster, to act in a drama series.

Renowned among local audiences for his fluency in Cantonese, the actor appeared in more than 200 soap operas in roles that ranged from high-ranking police officers to foreign ambassadors.

The star also adopted the Chinese name Ho Kwok-wing, with Ho meaning river, and Kwok-wing borrowed from the first name of the late Leslie Cheung.

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One fan wrote: “He was one of us, the Hongkongers. It is very sad to see this great man go this way.”

Other admirers spoke about the actor’s passion for Cantonese culture and artistic contributions to Hong Kong, with some saying they grew up watching him in local TV dramas.

“His love for Hong Kong, its film, TV, music culture, and Cantonese really shined through,” another internet user wrote.

Ivan Ho, who works in recruitment, told the Post that Rivers was a familiar face in local dramas, especially those aired on TVB.

The 34-year-old said he also remembered watching the actor’s performance as a colonial-era police officer in the online series OCTB.

“He learned Cantonese and truly assimilated into the society. That shows his love of the place, as Cantonese is very hard to learn, it takes some determination to learn it and speak it at his level,” Ho said.

Sally Andersen, the founder of Hong Kong Dog Rescue, said Rivers had been a fervent supporter of the charity for many years and made a free video for the group that urged residents to adopt pets rather than buying new ones.

The charity founder said River’s wife had died a few months ago.

She added that Rivers had been diagnosed with skin cancer in 2017 and had just finished treatment when he attended their “Peak to Fong” annual fundraiser dog walk from The Peak to Lan Kwai Fong.

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Andersen, who started the charity in 2003, said Rivers always looked after local dogs and had a love of animals and nature.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say that he was a genuinely lovely man,” she said.

Yannie Wong, the charity’s education and project manager, said that River’s wife had suffered from a heart condition so the couple had opted not to have children, instead taking in more than 10 local dogs over the years.

Wong added that Rivers in 2018 donated the proceeds of his debut “Dare to Dream” concert to the charity, raising funds by singing his favourite classic Hong Kong songs from Leslie Cheung, Alan Tam and Jacky Cheung.

“Although it was not a huge amount, it’s his heart that mattered,” she said.