Biography
Pumpuang Duangjan (Thai: พลับพัต้น สุณ, 1961 – 1992) was a Thai singer and actress. She was also known by the nickname Pueng which means "bee" in Thai.
She was born on August 4, 1961 in Hankha, Thailand to a very poor farming family; she was forced to work from childhood in the sugar cane plantations in order to help her family.
Although she was illiterate, she had a talent for memorizing lyrics and participated in many local music competitions where she stood out with her voice. At the age of 15, she attracted the attention of a band that happened to be in the area and they took her on as a singer. From the late 1970s onwards her popularity skyrocketed.
Her songs became especially popular in the poor rural areas of Thailand. She adapted pleng luk tung (Thai folk music) into a dance form known as electronic luk tung. During her career, she made a lot of money that was squandered by her various managers, advertisers and lovers, resulting in her not being able to pay for the proper treatment for a blood disorder that eventually led to her death, on June 13, 1992.