A 24-year-old cosplay influencer has tragically died in China, days after revealing she was not eating due to her poor financial condition. According to a report in the South China Morning Post, blogger Maoyouyou, whose real name is Shi Ye, was a famous name in the anime circles and joined anime conventions held across the country.
A day before her death, Ms Shi held a livestream, cosplaying as one of her favourite anime characters. However, as per some audience members, she seemed in low spirits. During the live, Ms Shi said she was "on the edge of death" and that she had not eaten for two days, adding she didn't have any appetite either.
Hours before her death, Ms Shi posted on social media "we will never meet again", hinting that she was planning to kill herself.
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Ms Shi's family released a statement in the aftermath where they stopped short of disclosing the reason for the death. However, many of her fans suspected that she had likely committed suicide due to depression.
"We know that many people still like her. So we will not revoke her mobile phone number or her social media accounts. Instead, we will leave them there for us to express how much she is missed," the family's statement read.
As per Ms Shi's interactions on social media, she had been living in a rented flat in Beijing for three years but did not have money to pay for the rent for some months. She had attempted to seek medical treatment but could not manage to make an appointment at the hospital.
Social media users reacting to her death paid tribute and expressed concerns about her mental health.
“What a pity! We should show more care for people with mental issues,” said one user while another added: “You were such an optimistic person in the past. Hope you live happily in another world."
