Goh Cheng Liang, the billionaire founder of paint and coatings conglomerate Wuthelam Group, has died at the age of 98.
His family announced on 12 August 2025 that he passed away that morning with relatives at his side.
According to Forbes, Goh was Singapore’s richest person in 2025 with an estimated net worth of US$13 billion (S$16.7 billion).
He held a controlling stake in Japan’s Nippon Paint Holdings through Wuthelam Group.
In a public tribute, Nippon Paint’s official website was switched to black and white, featuring a memorial banner honouring Goh as a pioneer of Asia’s paint industry and philanthropist.
Born into poverty, Goh spent his childhood in a small rented shophouse room on River Valley Road with his parents and siblings.
During World War II, he was sent to Muar in Johor to live with relatives before returning to Singapore in 1943.
His early ventures included selling aerated water, which failed, and working in a hardware store.
In 1949, he bought surplus paint from the British army and began producing his own Pigeon Brand paints using a Chinese dictionary on chemicals.
The Korean War in 1950 restricted imports, boosting his paint business.
Nippon Paint later approached him to become its distributor, a partnership that eventually grew into his majority ownership of the Japanese firm.
In 1974, he founded Wuthelam Holdings, expanding it into a global operation.
Beyond paints, his investments included the development and later sale of Liang Court and Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
Goh remained committed to keeping his business private.
In a 1997 interview with The Business Times, he said he preferred avoiding public company pressures and professional management structures.
Philanthropy was a major part of his life.
In 1995, with the late President Wee Kim Wee’s support, he established the Goh Foundation to coordinate his charitable work.
The foundation contributed significantly to cancer research and treatment facilities, including the National Cancer Centre Singapore and the Goh Cheng Liang Proton Therapy Centre.
It also funded children’s cancer research at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the Viva Foundation and the National University Hospital.
A cancer survivor himself, Goh supported research into rheumatological and immunological conditions through the ARiSE programme at Singapore General Hospital.
He also backed palliative care projects with NCCS and SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre.
NCCS chief executive Professor Lim Soon Thye said the institution was “deeply saddened” by his passing, noting his contributions had a “positive impact” on cancer patients and their families.
Goh’s charitable work extended to his ancestral village of Dawu in Chaozhou, Guangdong province, where he funded roads, clean water systems, sanitation, and schools.
He is survived by three children – Goh Hup Jin, Goh Chuen Jin, and Goh Chiat Jin – eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
His family remembered him as a humble man with a sense of humour who valued compassion and humility.
His eldest son, Goh Hup Jin, called him “a beacon of kindness and strength” who taught the family to “live life with compassion and humility.”
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