A rapper who bizarrely faked his own death in a cruel April Fool’s Day prank has been slammed by many of his own unimpressed fans after repeating it for a second year.
Wee Meng Chee, who goes by the stage name Namewee, posted an image of two news presenters at their desks with a black and white image of himself behind him. The image featured the years he was “alive”, between 1983-2025, and captioned: “Rest in Peace.” The false news headline reads in Chinese: “Exclusive: Dead again! Huang Mingzhi was bitten to death by a Malaysian reporter on the roadside.”
The 41-year-old’s prank drew scorn from several of his own fans who were deeply unimpressed at the attempt to make people believe he was dead. It is unknown why Namewee posted the poorly judged joke. The rapper, who is also referred to by fans by the name Huang Mingzhi, was called “pathetic” by several people. One former fan said: “Boss, this time I don’t trust you.” Another added: “Heard your death count has been on the World Record.” Another added: “Hahaha legit fake stop pranking us lol.”
Some seemed to like his bizarre “death”, as one wrote: “How many lives does he have?” One said: “Brother you die once a year.” Another added: “Another year, another Namewee death.” One more added: “Death is so unique…Looking forward to next year’s death.” Last year, Namewee pulled the same stunt and changed his Wikipedia page to reflect that he had ‘died’. He also shared an obituary which provided details of a funeral which would take place in memory of him.
A ‘farewell ceremony’ was announced, with it being suggested visitors should wear all-white attire and not bring condolence wreaths, flower stands, money, obituaries, and “memorial advertisements.” The rapper, who is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, even announced that it would be held at the Nirvana Center Kuala Lumpur. Many of his fans fell for the trick, and left messages to pay tribute to Namewee.
It was later revealed that it was all just a marketing ploy. This year, it appeared not a single person fell for the April Fool’s Day post, as many made jokes while others were far from impressed. One person said: “Thank you for reminding me that today is the annual April Fool’s Day. April Fool’s Day is not like this, wow.” Another said: “Really pathetic.”
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