Fans of Fei Yu-ching recently got a huge shock when a worrying new rumour about the veteran Taiwanese singer, who retired from showbiz after holding his final farewell concert in November last year, began making the rounds on the internet.

On Saturday (Nov 28), a Chinese influencer was doing a live stream when he suddenly received a text message from his mother, which he read out loud: “Fei Yu-ching’s cancer has spread and he is on the verge of death. A lawyer has entered his hospital ward and is writing his will. He’s only 64 years old. I’m right there.”

Those tuning into the broadcast were in disbelief and asked if it was true, to which the influencer replied, “I don’t know. My mum sent it to me.”

Netizens were sceptical of the influencer’s claim for several reasons: first of all, he got Yu-ching’s age wrong (the star is actually 65 years old), and secondly, he seemed pretty amused despite delivering such a sobering update. Still, this didn’t stop the topic of “Fei Yu-ching’s terminal cancer” from spreading like wildfire on social media.

In the end, it turned out to be a horrible — not to mention utterly insensitive — piece of fake news. Yu-ching’s management agency took to Weibo on Monday morning (Nov 30) to clarify that he is “completely fine” and urged everyone not to simply believe such wild speculations. They were also quoted by the media as calling the whole situation “a rumour and pure nonsense”.

Yu-ching’s older brother, host Chang Fei, issued a statement through his manager as well, saying that they had just met on Sunday (Nov 29) and that Yu-ching was very healthy and full of vigour. “People have been spreading a lot of rumours over these past few years, but we really don’t want to pay too much attention to them. Xiao Ge (Yu-ching’s nickname) couldn’t be better!”

Even Yu-ching’s sister, singer-turned-Buddhist nun Venerable Heng Shu, was taken aback when she heard the news, and quickly asked her nephew if it was true (she hasn’t been in contact with her siblings after they fell out over her massive debts). Like everyone else, she breathed a sigh of relief when she learned that he was doing fine.

Photos: Venerable Heng Shu/Facebook, 费玉清贴吧/Weibo, Apple Daily, 娱乐日常/Weibo