Hong Kong singer-actor Ronald Cheng has disclosed that he suffers from depression and alcoholism. This was after his recent announcement that he would leave the entertainment industry over health issues.

The Cantopop star has been in the news since Aug 3, when he announced on social media that he would be taking a break after his concerts in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in late September.

The 52-year-old raised more questions with his subsequent post that he would be ending ties with his agency, citing issues with his manager Ho Hing Sheung’s work and ethical conduct.

Cheng took to Facebook on Aug 6 to elaborate on his personal issues.

He is famous for ballads such as Your Eyes Betray Your Heart (1996) and Never Say! Love You (1997). And he won Best Supporting Actor at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards in 2012 and Hong Kong Film Awards in 2013 for his role as an unconventional film investor in the adult comedy Vulgaria (2012).

“On the surface, everyone sees me as the wacky guy who makes movies, produces videos for my online channel and holds concerts,” he wrote in Chinese on Aug 6. “In fact, over the years, I have been an immature person who does not know how to face pressure.”

He said he quit drinking after he was involved in 2000 in a drunken rampage on a flight from Los Angeles to Taipei, where he physically abused crew members.

“Then, unknown to the public, I went through an unhappy marriage which was short-lived and which caused me to reflect on my problems,” he wrote, referring to his marriage to Twins singer Charlene Choi.

They met on the set of the 2004 movie Hidden Heroes and held their wedding in Los Angeles in 2006. They kept it under wraps until they announced their split in 2010.

“It was not until I met my wife Sammie Yu that I felt I was about to enter another phase of my life. I was very happy as we started a family together with two children,” he wrote.

Cheng married the former TV news anchor in 2011, and they have a daughter, 13, and son, nine.

“However, it turned out that my personal issues were not resolved thoroughly when I was faced with stress, work and interactions with people,” he wrote. “I was unable to communicate well, and I was unable to handles issues well, which disappointed my family.”

At the suggestion of friends, he consulted a doctor and was found to be suffering from depression. He was prescribed medication.

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