Wu Yongning: Chinese 'rooftopper' and social media star dies in fall from 62-storey building
The 26-year-old died falling from the tower while trying to win a competition to pay for his wedding and his ailing mother's care
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Your support makes all the difference.A Chinese social media star has died after falling from a 62-storey building while performing one of his trademark daredevil stunts.
Wu Yongning had amassed a million followers on the Chinese app Weibo, which is similar to Facebook, for posting short videos of him perching on top of tall buildings without safety equipment.
Since beginning to post on the app in February he went on to share 300 short films of him performing dangerous stunts.
He was one of several “rooftoppers” who climb extremely tall buildings without safety equipment which has become increasingly popular across the world in recent years, the BBC reported.
But concerns among his fans began to grow after he stopped posting updates in November.
His girlfriend, identified only as Jie Jie, has posted on social media to announce he died in a fall from the 62-storey Huayuan Hua Centre in Changsha in the centre of the country.
Footage reportedly then emerged on Chinese live-streaming site, Volcano, which showed Mr Wu falling from a metal bar he had been hanging from, the Beijing News reported.
Mr Wu reportedly warned his followers not to attempt his stunts as he said had martial arts training and had previously worked in TV and film.
His family say he was trying to win 100,000 yuan (£11,300) by taking part in the “rooftopping” challenge so he could propose to his girlfriend.
His step-uncle, Feng Shengliang, told the South China Morning Post: “He planned to propose to his girlfriend. He needed the money for the wedding, and for medical treatment for his ailing mother.”
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