Earlier this week, it was reported that Taiwanese actor Ryan Tang (唐治平)’s mother was found dead on the rooftop of their apartment block in Danhai New Town, New Taipei City. She was 73 years old. It was said that a resident of the building went up to the rooftop to dry their laundry when they found an elderly woman on a chair with a plastic bag over her head.
They immediately called security for assistance who then subsequently called local authorities. According to reports, the actor’s mother had died at the scene and she appeared to have livor mortis, also known as postmortem lividity. When checking CCTV footage, it was shown that the elderly woman went up to the rooftop alone two days prior to her death with the chair and plastic bag she was found with but did not return.
The reason for her being up there and the cause of death have yet to be determined but it was suspected to be suicide. Shortly after, police went over to the woman’s apartment unit where she lived with Ryan. When informing the “Hana Kimi” star about his mother’s death, he appeared to be intoxicated and spoke incoherently. It was only after he sobered up slightly that he was able to answer the police’s questions.
According to the 45-year-old, his mother would usually leave the house after a big argument with him. It was said that their last argument was about his 4-year unemployment and RM19,638.97 worth of debt. He claimed to have contacted relatives to ask for her whereabouts but to no avail. When asked to identify the body, he said she was unrecognisable. The celeb’s cousin was brought in to help identify the deceased. With no signs of struggle, abuse or a suicide note found, police requested for an autopsy to be done.
After the news broke out, the star’s agent posted a statement on Facebook saying, “We have already contacted him and will accompany him. We will explain to everyone after we’ve understood everything clearly.” Ryan went to the police station later that evening to collect his mother’s death certificate. Speaking to the media who were waiting outside, he said he was aware of his mother’s disappearance and refuted rumours that he was an alcoholic.
The case is still being investigated and there have been no further updates so far. Watch the full video of him speaking to the media below:
