HK tycoon Henry Fok dies at 83

HONG KONG, Oct 29 (Reuters) Prominent Hong Kong business tycoon Henry Fok Ying-tung, whose close ties with Beijing earned him the nickname ''Godfather'', has died in the Chinese capital aged 83, an official Chinese newspaper reported today.

The Beijing Youth Daily gave no detail of Fok's illness, but Hong Kong's Sunday Morning Post reported that he had been ill with cancer for some time.

Fok, a vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, died at Peking Union Medical College Hospital yesterday evening, the Post said.

Long seen as one of the Hong Kong figures best connected in Beijing, Fok was a trusted confidant of many mainland leaders.

REUTERS SP MIR BST0855