Austin Wai passes away due to excessive weight loss

8 Oct – It was reported that actress Kara Hui's older brother, Hong Kong actor, Austin Wai has passed away.

According to Popular Asians website, sources reported that the actor was found dead in his Beijing home. The news was confirmed by Kara Hui on the evening of the same day, through her Weibo, "I am sad, very sad. Have a good journey, big brother. A really, really good one."

According to Kara, Austin had died due to recent excessive weight loss due to over exercising, resulting in his body's failure to adapt accordingly.

It was known that Austin had been suffering from health problems since moving to Beijing to focus on his business, and on 21 September, Austin updated his last post on his Weibo, that read, "It's not that I don't want to update anymore, but I've been really sick lately. First, it is arthritis, and then half a month later, I began coughing a lot. First it was breathing problems, then hormonal problems, then problems with my ears, nose, and throat. I went to the doctor many, many times. In the end, it was none of them. I went to the pharmacist and grabbed medicine, with recommended dosage for five days. I got better in two days. I am frustrated!"

His body was only discovered on 4 October by his manager although he was dead several days prior.

Kara revealed, "I had this uneasy feeling, so just for peace of mind, I decided to have Austin's manager to break open his door to find out what is going on." She only received the news of his death when her workday ended.

It is understood that Austin Wai's body was cremated in Beijing, China and will be transported back to Hong Kong later on.

The protégé of Peking opera singer cum martial arts actress' Madame Fan Guk Fa; Austin Wai began his debut as a martial arts actor in the 1970s. He joined TVB in 1982 and left in 1988 after his last TV drama, "Bing Kuen". Austin Wai married singer-actress Betty Lai in 1996 but was divorced in 2001. The couple have a son together.

He was 55 years old.