It was announced on Saturday, July 11 that actress Wai Ching Ho passed away at the age of 82.

While an exact date for her passing is unclear, the news of her death came from several former co-stars who paid tribute, one of whom revealed she had suffered from a stroke just days prior.

Wai Ching Ho's co-stars pay tribute

Her co-star in the Daredevil TV series Peter Shinkoda was the first to break the news, first sharing a selfie of himself on Saturday which was captioned: "Just lost someone very special to me. She was one of the coolest. Thinking aloud," with the hashtag "Gao," a reference to her character Madame Gao.

His subsequent post paid direct tribute to her, which was captioned: "I won't ever forget you. I learned every minute from you when we were together on and off set. I know wisdom - I'd hang on your every word. We will meet again, my friend. You were beautiful."

Wai Ching Ho's cause of death

Her cause of death was confirmed by actor Perry Yung in his tribute, writing: "It's a very emotional moment for all of us who knew Wai Ching Ho. She passed away peacefully after a stroke two days ago."

Perry continued: "I had seen her perform many times on stage, had many a dim sum and she came to see @slantperformancegroup many times. I even had the enormous good fortune of having played her husband (parents to @justinchon) in the film High Resolution. Wai Ching was a kind, compassionate human being whose work as an artist lifted every production to a higher standard, and we are better for it. Rest in power dear friend."

Wai Ching Ho's life and career

Born on November 16, 1943 in Hong Kong, Ho quietly worked on stage before finally making her first screen appearance in 1983 on an episode of the show One Life to Live, making recurring appearances until 1990. That year, she also made her film debut in Cadillac Man.

She appeared in several episodes of Law & Order across the various different spin-offs, each time playing a different character, beginning with the flagship show in 2001 and the most recent being in 2025.

Ho is best remembered for playing Madame Gao, one of the five founders of the organization The Hand, in Marvel's Daredevil series, a role she reprised in Iron Fist and The Defenders, both in 2017.

She also held recurring roles in the sitcoms Fresh Off the Boat and Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens. She also played Destiny's Grandmother in the 2019 film Hustlers and voiced the character of Grandma Wu in Pixar's Turning Red (2022).

On stage, her most notable credit comes from Celine Song's play Endlings in 2020. She additionally also appeared in the Off-Broadway production of Laowang: A Chinatown King Lear in 2025. Not much is known about her family life.