Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Cheng Pei-pei dies aged 78

Actress Cheng Pei-pei has died aged 78 (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Cheng Pei-pei, the Chinese-born martial arts actress who starred in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has died her family announced on Friday. She was 78.

Cheng, who had been diagnosed with a rare illness with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, died on Wednesday at home surrounded by her loved ones, her family wrote on Facebook.