Her passing brought back memories of a woman from a far-flung village who attracted widespread public fascination.
The love life of young Kaew blossomed at the beginning of WWII when a Japanese sergeant by the name of Fukuda Hityo arrived at her village in Khun Yuam district.
He was among the Japanese troops who invaded Southeast Asia and were advancing to Myanmar.
Hityo was injured in the fighting and Kaew's father, a local herbal specialist, took him in and treated him.
Kaew slowly nursed the soldier back to health. They grew closer and fell in love. The couple lived together while Hityo was stationed at the village outpost. He would remain there until the war ended in 1945.