A 19-year-old Chinese influencer has died in a motorcycle crash just weeks after finally clearing a £337,000 family debt he had spent years working to repay.
The social media star, known online as Guang Sir, reportedly died on August 15 after being involved in a collision while riding a motorcycle.
His older sister said the crash happened around midday the previous day, when he reportedly failed to slow down at an intersection and collided with a passing car.
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He was rushed to hospital but died from his injuries in the early hours of the following morning, as reported by Need To Know.
The tragedy came just 17 days after Guang Sir announced he had finally paid off around £337,000 (three million yuan) in family debt.
He had reportedly dropped out of school aged 14 and started working to help deal with the financial burden, taking on a string of jobs before later building a following on Douyin, China’s answer to TikTok.
The influencer had amassed around 460,000 followers, with his content later focusing on everyday life, cooking, car repairs and helping people and animals.
On July 29, he announced that he was finally debt-free and appeared ready to start a new chapter.
Just days before his death, he had also reportedly bought an Audi for around £25,000 in cash.
His sister said he had only owned the car for three days – although crucially, he was riding a motorcycle when the fatal crash happened.
The 19-year-old had reportedly endured years of hardship after his family’s financial problems left him facing the huge debt.
He was said to have worked long hours and kept his own living costs extremely low while trying to clear the debt.
His death has sparked an outpouring of grief online, with followers left heartbroken by the timing.
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