QINGDAO, July 26 — Hong Kong singer-actor Nicholas Tse fought back tears as he returned to the stage for the first time since the death of his father, veteran actor Patrick Tse.

The 45-year-old went ahead with his scheduled concert in Qingdao, China, yesterday, nine days after his father died at the age of 89, reported The Straits Times.

Dressed in black, Tse at one point wore his late father’s signature sunglasses before closing the night with Patrick Tse’s oft-quoted words: “The show must go on.”

Patrick Tse, affectionately known as “Sei Gor”, or Fourth Brother, died on July 16. His family announced his death after his body was cremated on July 20.

Nicholas Tse returned from Hong Kong to mainland China on July 23 to prepare for the latest stop on his “Evolution Nic Live” tour.

Hours before the concert, he shared rehearsal photos with the caption: “See you tonight, Qingdao.”

A sudden downpour hit the city before the show, but the rain had stopped by the time Tse took the stage.

“We’re very lucky it’s not raining now. We’re here with lots of positive energy, so thank you,” he said while waving towards the sky, according to fan videos posted on Xiaohongshu.

Tse, who has long projected a stoic public image, became visibly emotional during several songs.

His voice was choked with emotion as he performed Thank You For Your Love 1999, with tears welling in his eyes as he sang: “Say goodbye, but don’t say ‘forever’; goodbye won’t be forever.”

He paused and asked the audience to sing along.

Tse was overcome again during his 2000 hit Playground, removing his sunglasses to wipe away tears after the song.

Early on July 26, he posted a 90-second concert clip on Instagram set to his 2018 track Blue Sky.

The video ended with Tse bowing deeply to the audience before repeating his father’s words: “The show must go on.”

Tse’s agency, Emperor Entertainment Group, had issued a statement on July 23 warning against false claims about Patrick Tse’s cause of death and the distribution of his estate.

“The deceased has passed away, and his reputation, privacy and personal dignity should be protected by law and accorded basic respect by the society,” the agency said.

“Any act of fabricating facts, distorting the truth, maliciously slandering or manipulating public opinion in the deceased’s name constitutes a lack of respect for the deceased and amounts to an infringement of his rights.”

The company said it and Nicholas Tse reserved the right to take legal action against those who continued spreading false information.