Renowned Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen’s longtime body double and one of the pioneers of Parkour in mainland China, Zhang Lei, passed away suddenly in Beijing on June 12 due to a heart disease.
The Beijing Extreme Sports Association issued an obituary on June 15, announcing that Zhang Lei, Vice President of the Beijing Extreme Sports Association and President of the Parkour Committee, passed away at the age of 39 on June 12 at 11 a.m. in Beijing after unsuccessful treatment for heart disease.
Public records indicate that Zhang Lei was one of the earliest practitioners of Parkour extreme sports in China, starting his training in 2006. Since founding the Extreme Dream Parkour Club in 2008, he has taught over 2,000 students. In 2010, he won the championship of the “Blue Trend Cup” Parkour competition in China and served as a top Parkour coach at the Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan’s international film and television training base.
In addition to promoting Parkour, Zhang Lei has also worked as a stunt double in numerous film and television productions. Most notably, he collaborated with Hong Kong martial arts superstar Donnie Yen on several movies, including “City Under Siege,” “Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen,” “Kung Fu Jungle,” “The Monkey King” in 3D, “Iceman,” and “Special Identification.” He also worked on the costume drama “Shaolin Temple Legend 3” with Yuen Wah, and shared clips of his stunt work in multiple films on social media platforms.
Parkour, originating in France in the 1980s, is an extreme sport that combines elements of climbing, jumping, and rolling. Regarding Zhang Lei’s passing, some netizens expressed concerns about the sport’s impact on the heart, remarking on his young age and the tragic loss. Questions were raised about whether excessive exercise could be detrimental to health.
However, amidst the continuous spread of COVID-19 in China, the number of deaths is growing rapidly from ordinary citizens to high-ranking officials in the Chinese Communist Party. Many Chinese citizens have revealed that sudden deaths from young to elderly people are becoming common across the country. Despite the surge in hospital visits, the authorities have banned hospitals from conducting COVID-19 tests, leaving the public unaware of the true cause of illness.