His ex-wife posted on social media in the early morning that "poet Cai's heart has stopped." She said there will be simple rituals in accordance to Cai's last wishes. A Christian memorial may be held later.

Cai was born in Guangzhou in 1935 and came to Hong Kong in 1938. He graduated from the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan in 1965, when Modernist poetry was still controversial.

In his poetry, Cai expressed his sympathy for the lower class. He was an editor of The Chinese Student Weekly, and worked as the editor of Ming Pao literary supplement from 1966 to 1994.

In a previous interview, Cai said he loved eight women in his life. Women motivated his creations, and without them, he would not have achieve what he had in literature.

“I fulfill my life by writing poetry.. it's like meeting someone important I have lost contact with,” he said.

His publications include short poems collection Xiao shi sanjuan (1978), Bianzhong de hongdou (1984) and Zhongguo shijian (1996).