One of the most beloved novelists in the Chinese-speaking world was found dead in her home in Taiwan Wednesday after an apparent suicide. Romance novelist Chiung Yao, 86, published more than 60 novels in a career that began when she was 18, the BBC reports. Many of her works became hugely popular movies and TV series, including Qinq dynasty drama My Fair Princess, which launched the careers of some of China's biggest stars in the 1990s. According to Taiwanese media, she was found dead at her home in New Taipei City after she sent a farewell note to her 63-year-old son.
In 2017, Chiung expressed her support for assisted dying, reports the Taipei Times. Her second husband, publisher Ping Hsin-tao, died at age 92 in 2019, years after he suffered a debilitating stroke. She spoke of her grief in a Nov. 28 Facebook post, writing, "I especially miss you these days." "You have been gone for over five years, and with you bedridden and unaware for more than three, plus the years of forgetfulness, it has long surpassed a decade," she wrote.
An apparent suicide note was posted on Facebook by Chiung's secretary on Wednesday, the Straits Times reports. "Young friends, please do not relinquish your lives too easily. Temporary setbacks and trials may be challenges in life's beautiful journey," Chiung wrote, per Dim Sum Daily. "I hope you endure these trials and live as I have, until the age of 86 or 87, and when your vigor wanes, then you may choose how to confront death. I trust that by then, humanity will have discovered kinder ways to aid the elderly in departing this world joyfully." If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. (More author stories.)
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