Taiwanese singer-songwriter and record producer Yuan Wei-jen, also affectionately known as “Xiao Pang Lao Shi” (Little Fat Teacher), passed away on Monday at the age of 57, his family confirmed.
“Thank you to all the friends who cared for and supported Xiao Pang. He left this world surrounded by your warmth,” the family said in a statement.
Yuan had suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2018 while in Shanghai, which led to a coma. He was later diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery, spending extended periods recovering in Taitung County. In 2020, Yuan was again hospitalized after a fall at his home in Taitung, slipping into a coma and remaining bedridden until his death.
Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital confirmed that Yuan passed away peacefully at around 10 a.m. on Monday. His family has taken his body home and is making funeral arrangements.
Yuan’s second eldest sister, Yuan Ai-chen, shared on record producer Chen Tzu-hung’s Facebook page that he passed away peacefully and was finally at rest. “We will bring him back to Taipei to be buried alongside our father, in a place with mountains and water that he knew well,” she said. She added that his musical legacy lives on: “When people miss him, they can listen to his songs — while driving, when sad, or when at peace. He is everywhere.”
Yuan was previously married to actress Lu Yuan-chi for 14 years, with the couple divorcing in 2016. After his collapse in Shanghai, Lu traveled from Taiwan with their two children to visit him. During his long-term care in Taitung, his second eldest sister primarily took care of him, while Lu and the children quietly expressed their concern.
Lu, speaking through her manager, requested privacy for herself and her children as the family arranges Yuan’s funeral.
