This celebrity died in the early hours of Wednesday while filming a reality show. When the news of his passing broke, it sent shockwaves through his fan community.
Some have gone as far as blaming the show he was filming for his death and demanding an investigation, or for the show to be canceled outright.
Canadian-Chinese actor and model Godfrey Gao, 35, collapsed while filming a Chinese variety show called “Chase Me.” While performing a series of physically demanding tasks for the game show, he became exhausted to the point of delirium. Early Wednesday, while cameras were rolling, he fell to the ground and died.
Fans and fellow celebrities were quick to offer an outpouring of kind words for the actor, as well as expressing anger and sadness over his untimely passing. Many offered their warmest thoughts for his memory, like Simu Liu, the star of the upcoming Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Liu wrote on Twitter: “My heart is absolutely shattered. Godfrey left us far too soon and in far too tragic of a way.”
The majority of fan anger over the untimely death of Gao was aimed at the producers of the variety show he was filming. Many pointed out that the show has a history of overworking and overexerting its actors, with many complaining of exhaustion or injuries sustained while on set.
“I remember videos of Yuqi and Lucas breathing really hard and almost on their knees for the extreme fatigue,” tweeted user shinegooreum, speaking of two prominent Chinese singers who went on the show recently. Others went as far as calling for the show to be canceled outright if it wasn’t going to care about the actor’s health or well-being.
“That ‘Chase Me’ show either needs to put in place better safety regulations or completely cancel the show. What happened to Godfrey Gao was something that was easily preventable. And the fact that this could or almost happened to anyone makes me scared and pissed off,” wrote user “Caribbean_Kage”.
At the time of this writing, it’s unclear what happens next for the variety show, or whether there will be an official investigation into Gao’s sudden passing.
