Manager of late Taiwan influencer demands Namewee come clean about what happened in KL hotel

Malaysian rapper Namewee was arrested in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 22 and charged with drug possession and consumption on Oct. 24.

Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, has since denied the drug-related allegations in connection with the death of 31-year-old Taiwanese influencer Hsieh Yu-hsin, also known as Iris Hsieh.

Wee's statement claiming his innocence was put up on Instagram on Nov. 2, which was when the link between the influencer's death at a hotel, as well as Wee's alleged drug crimes, became public.

Wee and influencer

It was reported that Wee and Hsieh were working on filming a video together and were discussing matters in a hotel room.

On the day of his arrest, Wee was allegedly stopped by Malaysia police who happened to be deployed at his hotel for the Asean Summit, which was to take place a few days later.

It was reported that Hsieh had gone to the hotel bathroom to take a shower alone, but allegedly did not come out after half an hour, prompting Wee to check on her.

He then found her dead in the bathtub and tried to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but to no avail.

There was apparently no water in the bathtub or on the floor.

Police then found nine blue pills, believed to be ecstasy, in the hotel room, KL police said.

Wee subsequently tested positive for amphetamine, methamphetamine and ketamine, as well as THC, after he was taken in, Malaysia police revealed.

Wee said in his post that he is confident that the truth will be known once the police investigation is complete in two to three months, and also claimed that he had been subjected to blackmail.

Influencer's manager speaks out

Wee is now under further scrutiny as his public statement refuting the allegations were contradicted by the police findings of his drug use.

The artiste, known for his cheeky lyrics and videos, had also denied being involved in Hsieh's death.

But following Wee's post, the late influencer's manager, named Chris, called out the rapper's denials on Instagram on the same day.

Chris wrote: "Your statements are completely inconsistent with the official police report."

Chris claimed that a private investigator hired over the past few days had followed up with the Malaysia police about the case, but could not piece together a consistent story.

Manager tells Wee to come clean

Chris added that initial information referred to an accidental "cardiac arrest" as cause of Hsieh's death, but what he found from the Malaysia police was vastly different.

However, he did not disclose what the exact differences were.

Chris also called Wee out for allegedly telling the police one thing, and saying something else to the public.

Chris claimed that Hsieh was never known to take drugs and pressed Wee to reveal the nature of the packet of substance supplied to the influencer before her death, and if she was induced or deceived to consume it.

The manager also said he has not heard from Hsieh's family, but he is speaking out as a friend who wants to seek justice on the deceased's behalf.

Out of respect for the deceased and her family, no public statement has been issued.

Managers do not restrict artiste's freedom

After commenters questioned why Chris did not accompany Hsieh throughout the process of her engagement with Wee, he explained that the manager's responsibilities are very diverse.

While ensuring work safety and compliance with contracts, managers also exercise flexibility in their approach to managing artistes who are given freedom to fraternise with whoever they please.

Managers, Chris said, do not interfere in the artiste's personal lives.

He added that he is not a "leech" and respects the artiste's autonomy in arranging work and accepting invitations from friends or for private collaborations.

While some projects are not company-led, managers still keep track of schedules and security arrangements, Chris emphasised.

Unfortunately, this incident fell outside his purview as it was to respect the artiste's privacy and personal freedom to pursue her interests.

Who was Iris Hsieh?

Hsieh graduated from the Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology (CTUST) where she studied nursing.

She posted her certificate online previously after commenters questioned her credentials.

She became popular online in 2019 after she posted racy images of herself.

In 2022, she started an OnlyFans account.

She claimed to be in the top 0.05 per cent creator tier on the platform, and ranked number one in Taiwan.

Hsieh lost the tip of her right ring finger in her teen years after a hydraulic machine crushed it when she was working in the family factory.

An attempt to reattach the fingertip was made at the hospital, but it turned gangrenous two days later and doctors had to amputate it.

She has been seen in photos and videos with one finger tip missing.

Top photos via Iris Hsieh Instagram & Namewee Facebook