Taiwanese singer Alien Huang was only 36 when he died from a suspected heart attack and fall yesterday (Sept 16).

His sudden and tragic departure left everyone in shock, and social media was quickly flooded with tributes from his celeb pals and fans.

One star who was particularly affected by Alien’s passing was his ex-girlfriend, Taiwanese singer-actress Rainie Yang.

They dated for three years when they were students in the same high school, Hwa Kang Arts School, and broke up when Rainie entered showbiz. Despite their split, they remained close friends until Alien’s death.

In 2018, Rainie invited Alien to perform at her Youth Lies Within concert at the Taipei Arena.

“Youth lies within, how can I forget him?” Rainie said during the concert. “We are each other's landlord and tenant.” Then, she also revealed that she once let go of Alien’s hand while walking together on the streets as she thought [she] was famous and was afraid of getting photographed .

Alien was there for Rainie at every stage of her life. When she got engaged to Chinese singer-songwriter Li Ronghao last July, he was one of the first few stars to congratulate her.

She then revealed that she had worked late the day before and was awakened at 1pm by her mother who broke the news to her. It was said that Rainie had a full day of work but she was so affected by what happened that she cancelled everything.

Hours later, Rainie took to her socials to post a tribute to Alien.

“Thank you everyone for your concern.
I won’t pretend I’m doing well, that I’m alright.
Because it’s impossible to be fine, impossible to be alright.

So many people who love Alien are unwilling to let go after his passing
After hearing the news, I was very concerned about how Alien’s family members were feeling
They must be suffering so much more than I am.

I feel very grateful seeing all the positive reports the media have been writing about him, because he’s worked really hard.
He cherishes every time he gets to go on stage and cherishes every opportunity that was hard to come by.
But his good points aren’t limited to just these things.
The things you can’t see on screen, every good thing about him has made me feel that being able to meet him is a blessing in my life.

I’ve said before, “We didn't just appear in each other's lives when we were young. We have been there for each other in all stages of our lives, and that includes the future as well”.

Alien, I believe that you’ll still be around in the future.
But you will accompany me in a different form.
Thank you for being a part of my life.
I’m very happy that we’ve shown how much we love and care for each other at the right times
Losing you is a pity, and I’m unwilling to let go
But there's no trace of regret between us.

R.I.P
Missing you forever
2020/9/16″

Photos: Rainie Yang/Instagram, Alien Huang/Instagram