Recent statistics indicate that in the past week, five celebrities have tragically passed away, including mainland internet celebrity Zhang Xuefeng, who had received seven doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Video Screenshot)
[People News] In a shocking turn of events, a significant number of young people in China have suddenly died from heart attacks, a phenomenon that has raised alarm nationwide. Recently, five internet celebrities have died in quick succession, with ages ranging from 21 to 45, prompting widespread concern.
Five Young Internet Celebrities Suddenly Pass Away
According to reports from The Dajiyuan, the emerging creator on Toutiao, “Bu Xi Zhou,” and others have noted that between the 16th and 24th of last month, in just nine days—specifically within a span of seven days—they received news of five tragic deaths.
On the night of March 19, Wei Hua, an investigative reporter from Henan Urban Channel, died at the age of 45 due to sudden heart disease despite rescue efforts. Wei Hua was a key reporter in the coverage of the “Aunt Mei Case.” Additionally, he had previously gone undercover in a scam operation in northern Myanmar, successfully rescuing several individuals.
On the afternoon of March 24, Zhang Xuefeng, a graduate school counselling instructor, died of sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 42. He gained fame in June 2016 with his video “Seven Minutes to Understand 34 985 Universities.” According to Zhang Xuefeng's company, he was running during the company’s lunch break when he suddenly experienced heart discomfort and died despite attempts to save him. Zhang Xuefeng had previously disclosed that he had received a total of seven vaccine doses.
In the early hours of March 16, at 2 a.m., 21-year-old cancer blogger "Xiao Fei Tong Xue" passed away. According to earlier reports from Jimu News, she was diagnosed with a rare form of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma at the age of 15. Over the six years that followed, she underwent three surgeries under general anaesthesia, 18 rounds of chemotherapy, and 55 sessions of radiotherapy. In her farewell letter, she wrote, "I hope my departure will not come like a storm, but rather as quietly as leaves falling from branches." She shared that despite her regrets, she felt an overwhelming sense of peace while writing these words.
On March 18, 33-year-old cancer blogger "A Run" also tragically passed away. A Run, whose real name was Wang Run Chang, worked as an excavator driver. In May 2022, he was diagnosed with late-stage lung adenocarcinoma, which had already spread throughout his body. At that time, his wife was pregnant with their second child. Faced with the high costs of treatment and an uncertain future, his wife tearfully decided to give up the child and sell the excavator. Despite undergoing multiple surgeries, he ultimately closed his eyes for the last time on March 18.
On March 20, 35-year-old popular motorcycle reviewer "You Ni" (real name Huang Tao) died in a serious accident while testing a new motorcycle on Chang Chi Road in Changping, Beijing. On the day of his death, he was riding a test vehicle that had been on sale for just 11 days. The day before the accident, he had posted a video highlighting potential issues with the clutch system of that test vehicle. He even cautioned his followers that the period from March to May each year is a peak time for motorcycle accidents, noting that there were 50 motorcycle accidents in Beijing last year. Yet, he ultimately still rode his motorcycle.
Many netizens from mainland China expressed their dismay, saying, "It's so accurate; I saw a blogger mention that this year there will be many fires, air disasters, and several celebrities will pass away. I just saw that Li Changyu (Li Changyu) has also died." "There are also four national academicians." "More and more young people are leaving us; life is unpredictable." "This shows that we are living in an era that is unsuitable for human existence! I hope the wise can uncover the fundamental reasons! "I can't even imagine how many people die in a day; these few are just among them."
Myocardial infarction is no longer just a disease of the elderly.
In recent years, netizens have often shared screenshots of electronic displays from funeral homes across various regions, indicating that the number of young deaths has surpassed that of the elderly.
On March 22, a netizen with an IP address from Sichuan posted that a friend of theirs has been working at a funeral home in a small county since the beginning of this year. According to their friend's account, the numbers displayed on the large screen announcing the deceased at the funeral home are chilling.
The netizen lamented in their post: "2026 has just begun, and witnessing such data every day is truly terrifying. This is just a small county where my friend works. After seeing this, what is there left to compete for or to feel hopeless about? Everyone comes into this world empty-handed and leaves without a thing! Only when we are healthy and happy does the world belong to us; everything else is just like smoke!"
Electronic bulletin board of a funeral home in a small county in 2026. (Internet screenshot)
The 'Announcement of Spirit Departure' from the funeral home features a densely packed list of deceased individuals, including their ages. This list reveals a harsh reality: the overwhelming majority of the deceased are young people, significantly outnumbering the elderly. One figure displays the list from March 18, 2026, where seven individuals passed away within just one hour, with the oldest being 90 years old and the youngest only 17.
In another 'Spirit Departure' list dated February 24, the oldest individual was just 45 years old, while the youngest was 15, with others aged 18, 25, 28, and 30.
In reaction to this, some netizens remarked, 'This isn't a top-tier hospital in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Shenzhen where people stay up late to save lives; this is just an ordinary small county town!' 'And they still want to delay retirement?' Others commented, 'This is why social security shouldn't be paid; just spend the money if you have it.'
In March 2025, a screenshot of an electronic screen from a funeral home in a certain area of China. (Internet image)
In March of this year, mainland netizens shared a screenshot of an electronic screen from a funeral home in an unspecified city, indicating a high mortality rate among young people, with only one deceased over the age of 60, while the other five were all under 50, the youngest being just 15.
In March 2025, an electronic screen from a funeral home in Dongguan, Guangdong. (Internet image)
In January 2025, a screenshot purportedly from a funeral home in Dongguan began circulating online, revealing a concerning trend of high mortality rates among young individuals. The image showed that only two of the deceased were local residents over the age of 60, while the other six were from outside the region, all under 60 years old. The youngest among them were just 14, 28, and 31 years old, respectively.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been numerous reports of young people unexpectedly dying in mainland China. Public records indicate that from January to February 2026, several young lawyers have tragically passed away in rapid succession: on February 27, Xu Xuehan, a lawyer from Nanjing, died at the age of 36; on February 25, Chen Weiwei, a lawyer from Shanghai, passed away at 43; on February 6, Sun Tao from Longan (Nanjing) Law Firm died suddenly at 35; on January 2, Su Ze from Zhejiang Guangzhengda Law Firm died at 36; and on January 18, Yan Yafeng from Shanghai Pumao Law Firm succumbed to a sudden illness at the age of 48.
In April 2024, news broke that a 34-year-old internet celebrity with a million followers had died from a "sudden heart attack," which quickly became the top trending topic online. This revelation sparked widespread concern, with the comment section inundated with reports of young people dying unexpectedly from various locations. A resident of Kunming shared that a friend's son "suddenly passed away in his 30s," while another colleague, "in his 20s, also died suddenly." A Guangxi native living in Beijing noted that whether in the capital or his hometown, there have been "many cases of fever and cold over the past year or two," with "numerous young people dying," including several in their 40s and 30s, most of whom "died suddenly at work," and there are "five or six cases in the vicinity." Others have posted videos stating that in their circles, "six young people died in 2023, and three more in 2024, with the youngest being 30 and the oldest 45," predominantly from the post-80s and post-90s generations.
Data from the "Epidemiological Survey of Sudden Cardiac Death in China" indicates that around 550,000 cases of sudden cardiac death occur annually in China, with the proportion of cases among young people aged 18 to 35 rising dramatically from 12% in 2015 to 28% in 2024. This trend is not limited to internet celebrities and bloggers; there have also been numerous reports of sudden deaths among professionals in finance, technology, and even among medical personnel and police officers.
In this context, many internet users are questioning whether the government's strict enforcement of the three-dose COVID-19 vaccination policy has resulted in the following comments: 'After the third dose...'; 'Everything must be considered from the third dose; my once thick hair is now reduced to a third, but it has grown back a little, and by the way, I also developed a nodule.''Do you really have a choice? Don't even mention refusing the vaccine; if they offered you poison, you'd still have to take it.' △
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