Many Chinese internet users were probably shocked when the rumor of Chow Yun-Fat’s demise began circulating on Chinese internet on Monday. Thankfully, the news has been officially debunked. As it turns out, this is nothing more than an internet celebrity death hoax.
Jasmine Tan, the wife of the 62-year-old actor, has debunked the claims and said that he is “as healthy as can be,” according to Taiwan’s Apple Daily via Channel News Asia.
It was extremely hard for many long-time fans to accept the rumor of the actor’s death when it surfaced on Weibo and WeChat on December 4.
The celebrity death hoax circulated on Chinese social media in the form of a photoshopped screenshot of a female news anchor delivering the supposed tragic news, Taiwan News reported. It showed a picture of Chow that was taken from the movie “God of Gamblers” and accompanied with a caption saying:
“Movie icon Chow Yun Fat has died of illness after failing to respond to medical treatment in Hong Kong.”
An unnamed news outlet even went to the extent of using a photo of legendary actor Jackie Chan along with Sammo Hung as pallbearers carrying Chow’s coffin, Coconuts Hong Kong reported. However, upon searching, it turns out that the picture was actually taken during the funeral of Hong Kong director, actor and producer, Wu Ma, in 2014.
After hearing the confirmation from the actor’s wife, many people breathed a sigh of relief knowing that their favorite actor, who is famously known for many films, including the “Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “The Killer”, is still alive and well.
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons / Sliceof (CC BY-SA 3.0)
