Social media star dies aged 24, a day after telling fans she could not afford to buy food or pay her rent

Chinese cosplay social media star Shi Ye, known to her fans as Maoyouyou, died shortly after sharing that she had been unable buy food due to financial struggles.

Her family confirmed her death, saying that she died on Tuesday February 25. They also said in their statement that they would keep her social media pages active so that fans could still visit them and look back on her videos and posts.

“We know that many people still like her. So we will not revoke her mobile phone number or her social media accounts. Instead, we will leave them there for us to express how much she is missed,” the family said in their statement, as reported by South China Morning Post. Ye was one of the beloved members of the anime community, according to the publication.

On February 24, just a day before her death, Ye hosted a livestream where she dressed as one of her favourite anime characters. During the stream, viewers commented that she appeared emotionally exhausted this led to her sharing details of her money and food troubles.

Some who tuned in said she spoke about feeling unwell and struggling to pay the rent for her apartment in Beijing where she had lived for three years, as stated by South China Morning Post. The star also that she had not eaten for two days and had lost her appetite. She added that she was seeking medical attention but had been unable to book a hospital appointment.

Hours before her death, she shared a social media post that read ‘we will never meet again’ which some fans believe was her saying goodbye.

Ye was a prominent figure in China’s cosplay community who frequently attended anime conventions and shared her cosplay content on social media. She had a following of 51,000 a Chinese social media platform.