Charlie, 74, posted in a Facebook group that he and his wife Irene made the “painful decision” to shut the stall due to health concerns, Mothership reported.

Charlie has been battling stage 4 cancer for several years, while Irene is recovering from second-degree burns sustained while working at the stall and recently underwent knee replacement surgery, according to AsiaOne.

The couple thanked their customers for their support and said they look forward to serving their signature laksa until the final day.

Charlie’s announcement drew an outpouring of encouragement and well-wishes from netizens.

“Thank you for the many years of delicious laksa. Happy retirement,” a netizen wrote.

“Sad because each day our senior and wonderful hawkers are closing one by one… Happy because after all the years of hard work, you deserve a much-needed rest,” another wrote.

Some netizens noted that this closure felt more like a forced closure than a traditional retirement, reflecting the broader trend of long-standing hawker stalls shutting down.

Charlie started the stall at Circuit Road Hawker Centre after his cancer diagnosis in 2022, hoping to provide his wife with a stable source of income in case of his passing.

Besides its traditional seafood soup Katong Laksa, the stall also served local favorites such as chicken curry and fishball noodles.