Taiwanese influencer’s death in Malaysia: publicist mourns ‘gentle yet strong’ Iris Hsieh
He urged Malaysian police to carry out a thorough investigation after rapper Namewee was arrested in connection with Hsieh’s death
The 42-year-old Malaysian entertainer – who has had a string of run-ins with authorities from Malaysia to China over his lyrics – was found in the same room as Hsieh and arrested over drug use and possession after a number of pills were found by police. A cocktail of Ecstasy, methamphetamine, ketamine and cannabis was found in his system.
Denying any role in Hsieh’s death, he said in a social media post on Sunday that emergency services took over an hour to arrive after he discovered her unresponsive in the bathroom.
Namewee was initially released on bail on October 24 but was rearrested on Wednesday after surrendering to the Kuala Lumpur police.
Police initially classified Hsieh’s case as “sudden death” but opened a murder investigation on Tuesday. They have not linked Namewee specifically to her death and have released only a slow drip-feed of information on a case which has gripped Malaysia, where Namewee has millions of social media fans.