Tributes poured in over the weekend for legendary Hong Kong actor Ng Man-tat, who died of liver cancer in the city on Saturday.

Ng, 70, who worked in television and film his whole life, died peacefully in his sleep at Tai Wai's Union Hospital, Hong Kong, surrounded by his wife and children.

His last post on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like social networking service, reads, "I am Chinese".

A commentary posted on Chinese newspaper People's Daily online site said that although Ng never played a hero in his work, he remains a hero.

The commentary noted that his last Weibo post expressed his sincere love for the country. The legendary actor will be remembered and respected for his love of the arts and his clear stance on issues of right and wrong, the commentary reads.

It criticized some Hong Kong netizens for belittling, or even cursing at Ng because of his last Weibo post, saying that such people have no conscience or principles.

Many Weibo users expressed sorrow about Ng's passing. They also thanked him for the happiness he provided, the professionalism he demonstrated, the unending pursuit of the arts and his pure love for the country.

Ng's co-workers, including Andy Lau Tak-wah, Chow Yunfat and Wu Jing, sent their condolences and commended him for his kindness and devotion to his work.

Meanwhile, many netizens voiced regret that they would be unable to see Ng and "King of Comedy" Stephen Chow Sing-chi acting together in any new films.

In a mainland TV program aired in February, Ng said there would be a chance to work together again as long as he was not dead and Chow had not retired.

The pair became household names thanks to a series of slapstick comedies such as The Final Combat and The Justice of Life in the 1980s and 1990s. Their last film together was Shaolin Soccer in 2001. Chow released a statement saying that he is having a hard time accepting the news as Ng had been a longtime friend in life and partner at work.

Ng was born in Xiamen, Fujian province in 1951 and moved to Hong Kong at the age of five. Besides the movies he co-starred in with Chow, Ng also won mainland audiences' heart with the 2019 sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth.

News of his death had attracted 4.74 billion views on Weibo as of Sunday noon.