Taiwanese artist Cao Xiping, 66, passed away suddenly at his home late on the night of December 29th. When emergency personnel arrived, it was confirmed that he had been dead for some time, showing signs of livor mortis and rigor mortis. Just two days prior, he had posted on Facebook about the 7.0 earthquake in Yilan, writing, “I leave everything to God’s arrangement,” not realizing it would be his final update.
Around 10 p.m. on December 29th, the New Taipei City emergency hotline received a report of a person suspected to be deceased inside a residence on Hobei North Street in Sanchong District, New Taipei City, showing no signs of life and requiring assistance. Upon arrival, firefighters and paramedics found the individual lying in the bedroom, visibly deceased, with livor mortis and rigor mortis present. The deceased was confirmed to be veteran artist Cao Xiping by family members at the scene.
Police stated that foul play is preliminarily ruled out, with the suspected cause of death being illness. The case will be reported to the prosecutor’s office for further investigation to clarify the cause of death.
Cao Xiping, who had been active in the entertainment industry for over 40 years, rose to fame in the music industry with the song “Wild Youth.” Later, he became well-known for his appearances on various variety shows, where his signature move of blowing a whistle and his straightforward and outspoken manner became his distinctive trademarks. Holding a whistle in hand on the show, he would blow it to correct guests, and his phrase “you ugly monster” became a familiar classic line to audiences. Despite his sharp words, he was humorous and popular among viewers, with other artists joking that anyone who had been scolded by him would become famous.
Following the earthquake in Taiwan on December 27th, Cao Xiping shared a photo on Facebook of a table of delicious food, expressing his thoughts: “I won’t run, I’ll just sit there, I won’t move, everything is up to God’s arrangement.” He mentioned that things would happen as they should and pondering too much was useless, concluding with reflections on the insignificance of many things at his age, noting that natural disasters and human tragedies were inevitable. Unexpectedly, news of his sudden death surfaced just two days later, leaving many saddened.
After the shocking news spread, netizens flocked to Cao Xiping’s Facebook page, with some expressing disbelief and asking, “Is this for real?”