Leon Lai also married

Married in Las Vegas last March: Leon Lai, 42, and Gaile, 29. -- PHOTO: APPLE DAILY

HONG KONG - ANDY Lau has got hitched. So has Miriam Yeung. And so has Leon Lai.

The secret Las Vegas marriages of two Heavenly Kings and a pop princess have come to light in one weekend, after the death of the father of Lau's companion, Carol Choo, sparked queries about the star's marital status.

Lau has confirmed his marriage on his website and said he tied the knot with Choo in June last year so that the couple, who are childless, would qualify for fertility treatment in Hong Kong.

Hours after the report about his marriage to Choo, 43, he posted an apology to his fans on his Andy World Club site. The star, who had always said his fans would hear from him first if ever he married, told them he was 'ashamed' that he had not kept his word.

Lai, 42, registered his marriage with model Gaile Lai, 29, in the casino resort city on March 9 last year, said reports yesterday. According to a record on a public information website in Clark County, Nevada, they used the names Leon Lai Ming and Lai Gia.

This was right before rumours started spreading about their hush-hush wedding in the Maldives on March 15 last year, said Apple Daily. It would mean they had travelled to the Indian Ocean for their honeymoon, after saying 'I do' in Las Vegas, although they denied the rumours at the time, added the report.

Lai's romance with Gaile has been his most public one, even before the couple married. He met her in 2000, when he was still linked to actress Shu Qi, and dated her openly from 2005.

They bonded over red wine, said The Sun. After their marriage, he spent HK$60 million (S$11 million) on a luxury home, said Apple Daily. He also bought her a Maserati sports car with a personalised number plate, 'GIA'.

The revelation of Lai's marriage came after his boss, impresario Peter Lam of East Asia production company, practically handed the story to reporters. Apple Daily was the first to report last Saturday that Lau and Yeung - who are also managed by Lam - had tied the knot with their partners in Las Vegas.

Yeung, 35, and her boyfriend, Gary Ting, 30, were found to have married this month. He is in public relations.