James Kee Bee Sia

August 8, 1944 – May 7, 2025

James "Jimmy" Kee Bee Sia passed on from this world on May 7, 2025.  He was born in Malacca, Malaysia on August 8, 1944, as the fourth and youngest child, during harsh and dangerous wartimes.  When he was a young child, his father was killed while fighting in the Southeast Asian stage of WWII, and he was raised by his adoring mother who was the principal and music teacher of a school and was later adopted by a kindly stepfather.  He was a jungle boy, catching monkeys with coconut traps, keeping them as pets, and training them to climb up trees to gather more coconuts for him.  At 5 years old, he snuck behind the British army as they trekked deep into the jungles of Malaysia. They couldn't walk him back during their mission, so they kept him with them and fed him from their rations for a week, while he spotted and killed snakes for them.  When he was not even 10 years old, he convinced his mom to allow him to make a several days journey alone by bus and train to the neighboring country of Singapore so he could buy a rare fish with money he had saved up. He made the trip, asked for directions along the way, bought the fish, and went home just like he said he would.  In school, he was good at mathematics and playing rugby. By all accounts, he was generally a menace, terrorizing his family and other neighborhood children, especially those who thought they were "tough," but he was also fiercely loyal and sentimental, taking other kids under his wing.

Jimmy had a knack for being the center of attention, even from a young age.  He raced cars, picked fights with local tough guys, and was a musical genius and world class entertainer from an early age.  Often singing and playing all instruments but particularly the piano, electric and acoustic guitar, Jimmy was the star of the stage.  From how others described it, he would often pick up instruments and master them within a few minutes, and when he bored of them, Jimmy would give them away to friends and fans who worshipped him.  Jimmy was a rock star.  At 16, he was paid astronomical fees for that time to perform in nightclubs.  He often played for the Sultan of Brunei at his palace and was granted special protection by the Sultan's guards anywhere he wanted to go. Although we have never seen the original video, scores of  family members and friends confirm that he was the first person on local television when they first aired, singing and playing his guitar.  He was known as the "Guitar King" and had his own TV series where he taught others "How to Play the Guitar in 7 Days."  He was a band leader who could win over the toughest critic or the fairest maiden with his amazing talent.  He performed and toured Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands throughout his early adulthood and was the Asian equivalent of Elvis Presley and the Beatles at that time.

Jimmy married his first wife, Elaine Fook Siew Tan, and had two children in Malaysia. His eldest children, Ivan and Mona, both became musicians their own right.   Ivan, an accomplished guitarist, and Mona, a piano teacher, both carry on Jimmy's musical legacy.

Jimmy moved to Singapore to teach singing and met his second wife, Rose Mei Chung, and had three children there, Jasmine, Richard, and Edward.  They immigrated to the United States and had their youngest child, Ronald, in New York.  As most Asian immigrants to the U.S. at that time, he found work in a laundromat and then as a dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant.  While working and raising a family, he also trained in classical opera as a tenor, frequently rehearsing Italian arias late into the night.  Seeing the opportunity to corner a nascent market using his wits, charm, knack for salesmanship, and ability to speak multiple Chinese dialects and English fluently; he became an insurance agent and eventually opened his own insurance agency, Sia & Associates, on Canal Street, Chinatown, NYC in the early '80; the first of its kind to serve the Chinese population.  He became a respected business and community leader and even served for years as the Treasurer of the Chinatown Republican Party during the mid-80s.  In that role, he sung the U.S. National Anthem to both President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush while they were in office. He also read George Bush's palm during a meeting together when he was VP.  He often performed at other New York events and venues, including a lead role as a soloist with China's national opera group during their first ever performance in New York at the Lincoln Center.

He was strongly patriotic, often declaring that the United States was the best country in the world. He was deeply grateful for the many opportunities he was able to create and pursue in building a life for his family.  When he saw a business opportunity, he would go for it. He built a satellite dish company in the '90s, A Time to See, when satellite dish technology for home and commercial purposes was starting, a true tech entrepreneur.  He instilled a strong work ethic in his children and emphasized that if they did their best, he would be proud.

Jimmy was a religious man, who some believed had spiritual powers.  He practiced Theravada Buddhism, one of the oldest and most influential schools of Buddhism. In 1986, he revisited his motherland and decided that the next phase of his life would focus on a new calling, religion.  In 1988, he opened the Temple of the Golden Buddha on Bowery Street in New York's Chinatown.  As abbot of the temple, Jimmy advised and taught many students and disciples from all walks of life, including Americans and even notorious Chinese gangsters seeking to learn about meditation and the ways of the Buddha.  As a sign of respect, they called him Sifu or Master. Although his temple was only open for a few years, his students and disciples remained loyal and devoted to his teachings for the remainder of his life.  Many of them were with him during his final days and believe that he will continue to protect them from the afterlife.  Buddhists believe in reincarnation and that Jimmy's soul lives on in other forms. His most loyal disciples include Joseph Uddo, Thuy Phung, and Diego Gomez.

Jimmy and Rose were kind and generous to everyone, stepping in to help others when they were at their lowest moments and needed a roof over their heads or when they just needed advice or moral support.

In his later years, he lived a simpler life, surrounded by his many children and grandchildren.  He loved to play the guitar and piano all hours of the day and night, to the amazement of doctors after his debilitating stroke, heart attacks, and other health issues.  He practiced guitar religiously as his form of physical therapy and recovered all his ability by himself. He would regularly post videos of himself performing his favorite songs on his youtube channel - iplayslow.  Unlike the name suggests, he was anything but slow and he continued to amaze his audience on the guitar and hold your ear with his booming voice. When it came to music, he practiced what he preached: "You have to practice."

Some of his favorite pastimes were drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.  He loved to cook for his family and friends; lobster, Hainanese chicken, lamb chops, and goat curry were some of his specialties. He loved animals and would often be followed home by stray dogs, cats, and once a momma duck and ducklings. He enjoyed raising arowanas (prehistoric, predatory "dragon" fish) and considered them like his friends.

He was never a rule follower, but he lived by his own moral code and integrity.  No matter what was happening in his life, he always found time to tell those around him if they were doing something that he disapproved of, or less often, approved of. Those "lessons" will continue to benefit his friends, family, and disciples for generations. He was the center of attention, in any world that he lived in.  He knew what you were thinking before you did, and he was never afraid of any man, demon, or law enforcement authority.

He is survived by his 6 children and 18 grandchildren - son Ivan Teck Fatt Sia and daughter-in-law Elle Huang Leqi, with children Nicholas Cheng Hwa Sia, Nicole Sze Huey Sia, Elaine Yi Ting Sia, Tiffany Ji Ling Sia, and Vivian Quan Ling Sia; daughter Mona Teck Ling Sia with children Esther Ru Yen Yong and Olivia Li Yen Yong; daughter Jasmine I-Ling Rizzo and son-in-law Carl Richard Rizzo, with children Holly Yuyi Rizzo, Ivy Yulai Rizzo, and Charles Lu-Chi Rizzo; son Richard Terk Han Sia and daughter-in-law Heather Sia, with children Alison YuFa Sia, Lisa YuMay Sia, and Hunter LuSan Sia; son Edward Terk Hway "Kong" Sia and daughter-in-law Harpreet Ahluwalia-Sia, with children Simone Rosie Sia and Sophie Preet Sia; son Ronald Terk Yoong Sia and daughter-in-law Kelly Desmarais Sia, with children Charlotte Yuli Sia, Grace Yulan Sia, andHenry Yujin Sia.

James Kee Bee Sia was a larger-than-life experience for all who encountered him.  He loved his family, and he was loved. He was formidable and will be remembered and deeply missed.

​