Kimi Qiao Renliang, 28, was diagnosed with depression in 2015. (Photo : YouTube/FB Zone)
Kimi Qiao Renliang, a 27-year-old Chinese actor and singer, was found dead at his Shanghai residence on Sept. 16 in what appears to be a suicide from severe depression, according to police.
Renliang, who has appeared in several TV dramas including "Tiny Times 1.0," was suffering from severe depression over his workload, which worsened after rumors about him started doing the rounds last year, according to the actor's agent.
The Shanghai-native was diagnosed with the illness last year and was apparently heavily dependent on sleeping pills. The actor received very little support during his struggle with depression. In fact, while shooting a television drama, an unnamed director told him that he should be banned from the industry because of his condition, according to Global Times.
The actor's live-in girlfriend alerted the authorities after she found his dead body at their Qishun road home with several wounds that were apparently self-inflicted. The police arrived at the scene and ruled out homicide as a possibility following a preliminary investigation.
Renliang's agent, Miss Zuo, also noted that she was publicly speaking about the actor's struggles with depression to shut down the false speculation surrounding his death.
"There was none of it. He did not play any games. I need to clear his name," Zuo said, referring to reports that Renliang died as a result of sexual asphyxia, according to The Straits Times.
Renliang's claim to fame was the 2007 talent show "My Hero," in which the actor participated and finished as a runner-up to "Monster Hunt" actor Jing Boran. He was also the voice behind the theme song of Microsoft's Windows 7 in the Asia-Pacific Region.
In recent years, the actor has starred in many television shows and films including "Legend of Lu Zhen," "To Youth 2" and "Our Ten Years."
Renliang is the latest celebrity to join the "27 Club," which is essentially a group of young actors/musicians who died at the age of 27. The club includes the likes of Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse and the recently deceased Anton Yelchin.
Check out the late actor's photo montage below:
