TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Golden Melody Award winning musician Khalil Fong (方大同) died this week aged 41, his music label said on Saturday.

Record label Fu Music said Fong died on Monday after battling illness for five years. Fong passed peacefully and his output would remain an “eternal testament” to his spirit, the label said in a Facebook post.

The Hong Kong Free Press reported that Fong’s health issues began in 2016 after the release of his album “Journey to the West.” Fong was awarded Best Male Vocalist – Mandarin for the album at Taiwan’s 2017 Golden Melody Awards.

Fong announced his return to making music in an Instagram post in September, adding that he was “on the road to recovery.” He released the album “The Dreamer” in October, which he said symbolized his resilience and creativity “in the face of challenges such as illness and life.”

Fong was born in Hawaii in 1983 and grew up in Shanghai and Guangzhou, where he developed an interest in music from an early age, according to Fu Music. He released his first album, “Soul Boy,” in 2005 while living in Hong Kong.

Fong's music label did not say what caused the singer's death. However, multiple outlets reported that he suffered from pneumothorax, a condition commonly known as a collapsed lung, multiple times since 2010.