Founder of Singapore’s renowned food stall Fatty Cheong dies at 57

His son, Lachlan, shared on Facebook that his father passed away on Saturday and included a farewell in Chinese.

"Dad, you are finally free of the pain. Put your heart at ease, we will take good care of Mummy. We will live our remaining days well. You will always be our pride," as reported by The Straits Times.

He is survived by his wife, a daughter, and two sons.

Fatty Cheong signature dishes. Photo courtesy of Google/Jeremy Tan

Established in 1992, Fatty Cheong is renowned for its charcoal-grilled roast pork, char siew rice, and wonton noodles. Its signature dish, the "bu jian tian" char siew, meaning "never seeing the light" in Chinese, is a tender pork cut from the pig’s underarm.

Chan once told reporters that growing up with eight siblings in Chinatown, he developed a love for roast meats and dreamt of becoming a "roast meat king."

He hoped to see Fatty Cheong become a global brand representing Singapore.

Chan one told the media that he chose the restaurant name because he wanted people to remember him easily.

"I used to be very fat, 140kg. People are used to calling me Fatty Cheong. It’s a familiar name. Like if you say you want to drink Starbucks, people will know you’re referring to coffee," he told 8days.sg in 2021.