Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung

Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung suffered from deep depression and jumped from a building and died on April 1, 2003. He was 46.

Cheung's niece told Xinhua she witnessed how depression tortured Cheung one week before he died.

Cheung had been suffering from the disease for about 20 years and the main cause was work and affection.

He was fully aware of his own condition and he wrote in his autobiography in 1987: "I remember several years ago, when I was talking with friends, they always asked me why I was unhappy and never saw me laugh. I think I may be stricken by depression. The cause is discontent with myself, with others and even more discontent with the world."