The mysterious death of Chinese actor and singer Yu Menglong, known internationally as Alan Yu, continues to stir global outrage as fans reject authorities' claim that he died from an "accidental fall" in Beijing. The 37-year-old star was reportedly found dead on September 11, 2025, after falling from a luxury high-rise apartment, but widespread censorship and conflicting reports have fueled suspicions that his death was not as straightforward as officials insist.
Public frustration deepened this week after a childhood photograph of Yu resurfaced online, showing his father holding him as an infant. The image-widely circulated on Weibo, Douban, and YouTube-has reignited grief among fans and renewed calls for a transparent investigation. "Copy and paste! The genes are too strong," one Weibo user wrote, marveling at the father-son resemblance. To others, the picture served as a haunting reminder of the life they believe was unjustly cut short.
Yu's death was officially attributed to an "accidental fall after drinking," according to Beijing authorities, but posts discussing the case were swiftly deleted across major Chinese platforms. The resulting blackout has only intensified global skepticism. A hashtag movement, "Justice for Yu Menglong" (为于朦胧申冤), has since amassed over 600,000 signatures across international forums, drawing support from fans in the United States, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.
Those close to Yu describe him as gentle, reserved, and deeply devoted to his family. Mainland reports confirm that his father is a fitness coach and his mother, a music teacher, with Yu being their only child. He had spoken publicly about their closeness, often appearing with his mother at events. During a 2019 reality program, Like You, It's Me Too, Yu recalled his parents' humor, saying, "My mom once told my dad, 'You were really handsome when you were young.' That's when he decided to start working out-and ended up becoming a fitness coach."
Fans say such memories reveal a man whose temperament and values made the official version of events hard to believe. "Someone like that would never want to die," one supporter wrote beneath a resurfaced YouTube video of Yu's performance of Moonlight, Birdlight, a 1978 ballad from which his mother derived his name. In an earlier interview, Yu had explained, "My name comes from my mom's favorite Brigitte Lin movie. She thought the word 'Menglong' was poetic and romantic."
Yu's interpretation of the song has since become a rallying symbol. The video, reuploaded after his death, has drawn hundreds of thousands of views and thousands of emotional comments. "Every word he sang pierces the heart," one fan wrote. Another added, "I hope in the next life, he's not born in China. This whole thing feels too wrong. Justice must be done."
The rapid erasure of online discussions surrounding Yu's death remains a focal point of global frustration. Analysts say the combination of an "accidental" ruling and widespread censorship has heightened distrust of official narratives in China's tightly controlled digital environment. Fans noted that within hours of the official statement, posts, hashtags, and video clips about Yu's death vanished from Weibo, Bilibili, and Douyin, fueling international calls for transparency and independent verification of the case.
