A social media star has died after binge-drinking live on camera.
The Strait Times reports Zhong Yuan Huang Ge was chugging back on a spirit known locally as 'Chinese firewater'.
The 27-year-old uploaded a video showing him drinking baijiu, which has an alcohol content ranging between 35 per cent to 60 per cent.
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The man's Douyin account, which is the Chinese version of TikTok, has since been deleted, according to The New York Post.
His wife has confirmed the tragic incident to local Chinese media outlet Jimu News.
She said her husband was 'desperately' trying to earn money on live-streaming.
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The widow added that he needed 'to repay hundreds of thousands of yuan in debt that he owed before his marriage'.
She revealed she had tried to talk to Zhong about the debt, however he said he was focused on paying it back and wanted to 'live a good life'.
However, the woman has now been burdened with that debt and she said she will work hard to pay it off.
In a bizarre twist, Zhong had recently attended the funeral of a friend who had died in a very similar way.
A 35-year-old with the last name Wang was reportedly found dead 12 hours after his broadcast on May 16.
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He had allegedly been banned from the platform in the past due to drinking during live streams.
One of his friends told Shangyou News that the man had taken part in a 'PK' challenge against another influencer.
'PK' challenges involve one-on-one battles to win rewards and gifts from viewers.
After taking part in four one-on-one battles, he lost three of the rounds.
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As a 'punishment' he drank bottles of Baiju. Viewers reported that he drank at least seven bottles that evening.
“I don’t know how much he had consumed before I tuned in. But in the latter part of the video, I saw him finish three bottles before starting on a fourth,” the friend, identified only as Zhao, told The Straits Times.
He added: “The PK games ended at around 1 a.m. and by 1 p.m., (when his family found him) he was gone."
Topics: News
Stewart Perrie