PETALING JAYA: Actor Yap Chin Fong (pic), who made a name for himself in the popular comedy Empat Sekawan, has passed away due to complications from diabetes on Saturday. He was 74.

       Fondly known as Uncle Fong, he was not part of the original cast of the TV comedy when it premiered in 1968.

       “I might have joined the cast later, but they quickly made me feel at home.

       “Before long, I was part of the happy family,” Uncle Fong told StarLifestyle in a 2015 interview.

       He played one of the children on the multi-dialect series which ended its run in 1988.

       Uncle Fong was a recipient of NTV7’s Golden Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He was also honoured with Anugerah Tokoh Seni YA1M (1Malaysia Artistes Foundation) the following year.

       He leaves behind a wife and two children.