Chan was born on 7 September 1958 at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam. His father was Chan Pengfei (1923 – April 5, 2019), a businessman in the watch industry. He won third prize at the “HK Pop Song Composition Competition” in 1977. In that same year, he made his acting debut with Hong Kong Television Broadcasts (TVB) through a TV drama called Sweet Babe. In 1978, he won first prize at the “Hong Kong Yamaha Electone Festival”. He held his first music concert in Hong Kong that same year. His first music album, entitled First Love, was released in 1979. A song from the album, “Tears Dropping for You” (眼淚為你流), became his best-known song.

Chan subsequently signed a music contract with HK EMI, WEA, DMI, and finally moved back to Warner Music. He started singing Cantopop songs, some of which are still popular such as “Ripples” (漣漪), “Just Loving You” (偏偏喜歡你) and “Life Expectations” (一生何求). The song, “Tell Me What I Can Do”, was sung with Crystal Gayle in 1984. The song, “Remembrance on Parents’ Love” (1981) (念親恩), is often played on radio stations and frequently chosen for karaoke.

In the early 1980s, Chan was a host in the TV show Bang Bang. His co-operation with Leslie Cheung and Paul Chung in the films Encore (1980) (喝采) and On Trial (1981) (失業生), received positive reception from the public and media. He was also a main character in the film An Autumn’s Tale (秋天的童話) in 1987, as Vincent (Jennifer’s ex-boyfriend), with Chow Yun-fat (as Samuel Pang) and Cherie Chung (as Jennifer).

Chan suffered from mild depression, which worsened during the late 1980s. On 18 May 1992, Chan was found unconscious and he was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong. It was speculated that this was due to an accidental mixing of alcohol with medicine.

Chan had suffered from advanced brain damage. He went into a coma for 17 months and died on 25 October 1993 at the age of 35.

Notes Songs written by Chan include “First Love” and “Rocky Road” in English and “Craziness of Love” (兩心痴), derived by Chan as well. In 1999, the song “Ripples” (漣漪) was used by the Hong Kong Government in commercials for the Tracker Fund IPO.

On 8 November 2005, the Hong Kong Post issued a set of special stamps featuring “Hong Kong Pop Singers”. This stamp set focused on Hong Kong’s popular singers, saluting five pop stars who have left their marks on Cantopop music history. Chan was featured on the HK$1.80 stamp.