Objective Pre‐death grief is prevalent among dementia family caregivers. When unaddressed, it produces adverse outcomes. With its research primarily conducted in Caucasians, its applicability to non‐Caucasians is uncertain. We explore the existence and the characteristics of pre‐death grief in a multi‐ethnic Asian population using an established pre‐death grief scale—Marwit–Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory (MM‐CGI). Methods Seventy‐two dementia family caregivers were recruited from a tertiary hospital. Existence of pre‐death grief was shown by its measurability on MM‐CGI, together with good internal consistency reliability and construct validity. Characteristics of pre‐death grief were explored through multivariate linear regression of MM‐CGI and by comparing MM‐CGI scores with those from the original US study using one‐sample T‐test. Results In the Asian context, pre‐death grief was measurable in a reliable and valid manner. Risk factors of pre‐death grief included caring for patients with severe dementia, spousal relationship and secondary or below education. Influence of culture was palpable—Asians had more worries and felt isolation, and certain ethnicity showed more pre‐death grief. Conclusions Pre‐death grief is applicable even to the non‐Caucasian population. It bears much similarity to that in Caucasians. Yet, its expression is modified by culture. Clinicians working with non‐Caucasian populations need to be sensitive to its presence and to the influence of culture on its expression. © 2015 The Authors. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.