Health conditions have always been a matter of concern for action star Jet Li, who recently shared an update with fans in a video, revealing that he has been diagnosed with dementia and even mentioned that his hand is numb and unresponsive, causing much worry among his fans.
In the video shared by Jet Li, he expressed, “Dementia, numbness, can’t move!” His appearance appeared much paler compared to before, with deep wrinkles on his face, showing signs of fatigue. When asked if he ever wanted to “goof off” by the staff, he helplessly replied, “I just wanted to do nothing yesterday,” but was repeatedly urged by the staff to continue.
Although his tone seemed light-hearted and joking, Jet Li later sighed and slumped onto the table, appearing completely drained.
In fact, this is not the first time Jet Li has disclosed his health condition. In May of this year, while promoting his new book “Beyond Life and Death” in New York, Jet Li revealed in an interview that he suffered multiple serious injuries during his earlier years in the film industry, including spinal misalignment and broken ribs. He admitted, “Due to the many old injuries from filming, I cannot exercise like a normal person.”
Jet Li rose to fame in 1982 with the martial arts film “The Shaolin Temple” and portrayed various iconic characters such as Fong Sai-yuk, Linghu Chong, and Wong Fei-hung. In 1997, he ventured into Hollywood, appearing in numerous films. Since the end of 2016, he has been frequently seen with full white hair, practicing Buddhism and looking frail.
At 63 years old, Jet Li was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in 2013. Due to the long-term side effects of medication, he experienced bulging eyes, severe facial aging, and even rumors of his critical condition and death circulated multiple times. In August of last year, he underwent surgery and posted a photo from the hospital, captioned, “Recently experienced another trial of impermanence.” In the photo, he was lying in a hospital bed, connected to medical monitoring devices, with tubes for IV fluids. Later, Jet Li joked that he just had a “hardware issue and needed some repairs.”
Subsequently, there were reports of Jet Li undergoing a “rejuvenation” treatment, with rumors of a “heart transplant” and “full-body blood transfusion.” However, Jet Li later debunked these rumors by filming a video shirtless, but was questioned for potentially wearing fake skin, leading to comments online such as “the more explanations, the more suspicious it gets,” and “feels like adding fuel to the fire, it is hard to justify.” Interestingly, the tragic news of the death of Shaolin monk Qiu Feng (real name Xing Zhongping) occurred in August of the same year. The coincidence in timing led some netizens to speculate whether Jet Li’s “repair” surgery and Qiu Feng’s passing were connected, adding further mystery to the events.
Currently, besides his health, Jet Li’s mindset is also undergoing changes. In the video, he expressed frustration, unable to “do as he pleases” like before, feeling that work has become a heavy burden. He showed clear signs of fatigue and expressed a desire to “goof off and completely let go.”