Hong Kong actress Kathy Chow, who served as the Chinese Communist Party-controlled region’s Covid “vaccine ambassador,” has been found dead at just 57 years old.
The circumstances surrounding Chow’s sudden death have been raising suspicions after her medical records were leaked online.
Chow, who was known for her roles in broadcaster TVB’s television dramas in the 1980s and 1990s, died on December 11.
Her studio shared news of Chow’s death on the Chinese social media platform Weibo on December 12.
According to her studio, Chow died following the “unsuccessful treatment” of an “illness.”
“May there be no disease in heaven, and may we know each other again in the next life!” it said.
According to Hong Kong entertainment website Dim Sum Daily, Chinese screenwriter Tan Fei had initially dispelled the rumors, stating that Chow was alive and urged people to not spread false information.
A former TVB political reporter also reportedly said that Chow was still in hospital undergoing treatment.
However, her death was later confirmed by her former partner, Hong Kong actor Ray Lui.
Lui, who is now married to Chinese businesswoman Yang Xiaojuan, mourned Chow’s death on Weibo late on December 12.
“I couldn’t calm down for a long time after hearing this news,” he wrote.
“Thank you for bringing so much beauty to the world.
“I hope you will continue to laugh heartily in the next world.”
Despite initial claims suggesting that Chow had died while being treated for an “illness,” her medical records were leaked online showing she was found dead after suffering from sudden heart failure.
A photo of Chow’s medical records began circulating on social media.
The records show she was found “unresponsive” and had collapsed because her “heart stopped.”
Chow was rushed to hospital where she was declared after her heart had been stopped for over an hour.
According to the leaked document, the patient was found lying on the floor by her colleagues at about 10 am on December 11.
She had lost consciousness and her heartbeat had stopped for an hour when she was taken to the hospital, the medical record shows.
Chinese authorities have detained a hospital employee suspected of leaking her medical records.
The Shunyi Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau said on Weibo that a 36-year-old man had been detained for allegedly leaking private information.
“On Dec 11, a 36-year-old man with the surname Fu took advantage of his working position in a hospital in Shunyi District by taking a photo of a patient’s personal medical record and sending it to a WeChat group for the purpose of showing off, causing the information to spread,” the police station wrote.
Renowned Hong Kong actress Kathy Chow, who served as the CCP's vaccination ambassador has Died Suddenly.
The revelation of her medical records during her hospitalization revealed that she died of cardiac arrest.
They then arrested individual responsible for leaking her… pic.twitter.com/P9psVpgpP3
— DiedSuddenly (@DiedSuddenly_) December 28, 2023
Before her death, the popular celebrity served as the Chinese Communist Party’s “vaccine ambassador.”
Chow was tasked with encouraging the public to get vaccinated for Covid.
If the #CCP doesn't have anything to hide, why did it do this?
People just found that #Chinese search engine #Baidu Baike (百度百科, Baidu encyclopedia) quietly removed the description/record of #KathyChow getting #COVID vaccines in #Beijing from her biography. https://t.co/ra7NK0HlH5 pic.twitter.com/pm4NsHlhM4— Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng 曾錚真言 (@jenniferzeng97) December 17, 2023
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