Pianist in Taiwan falls from building after streaming 'last' performance

Follow us on Whatsapp for the latest updates Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates

Pianist falls from building after streaming ‘last’ performance on 21 Aug

On Wednesday (21 Aug), a pianist in Taiwan fell from the sixteenth floor of a building after an ominous Facebook livestream titled ‘Last Stream’.

29-year-old Yang Ti-an had already lost signs of life when police arrived at the scene. He was conveyed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation. A text post suspected to be Yang’s will was circulated afterwards.

Pianist streamed ‘last performance’ on Facebook

On Wednesday morning, Yang started streaming on a popular private Facebook group in Taiwan.

Source: Facebook

In the live stream, he played a melancholic tune, occasionally humming along.

The stream then ended, and shortly after, news of the pianist falling from the building emerged.

After news of his death broke, a string of text suspected to be the 29-year-old’s will started circulating in the same Facebook group.

The text began with “My name is Yang, a pianist who loves piano passionately.”

In the will, details of the hardships that Yang allegedly went through were revealed.

He shared that he was born into an unfortunate family, where his mother was an alcoholic and his father suffered from mental illnesses.

Yang also claimed that he was constantly bullied due to his speech impediments. In high school, such bullying cases even took on a sexual nature.

Despite his predicament, Yang’s parents apparently did not care.

Yang shared that piano was his only passion and he dedicated his life to it.

Source: 楊堤安 on Facebook

However, due to reasons not specified in the text, his right hand became “broken” and he could no longer play professionally.

Thereafter, he had to work as a security guard and taxi driver to make ends meet.

To make matters worse, his mother took on a NT$10 million (S$400,000) loan under Yang’s name and forced him to make repayments.

Towards the end of the note, the text read:

I am left with nothing. An artist has no right to remain on stage if they lost their hands.

Yang came in as runner-up for the 2023 GASCA International Music Competition and was recognised as a rising star in the world of music.

Police investigating stream comments preceding fall

More than 2,000 people tuned in to Yang’s live stream on Wednesday (21 Aug).

Some users felt that something was amiss and expressed concern for Yang. They began asking if anyone could identify his location as they wished to inform the police.

Source: Facebook

However, a number of users did not take Yang seriously and made highly inappropriate jokes in the chat. Some said: “Do you still have money in your bank account? Transfer them to me first.”

Source: Facebook

Some even taunted him to do the unthinkable.

Source: Facebook

In view of Yang’s death, police have said that they have taken screenshots of all inappropriate comments. If Yang’s family decides to sue these users, the photos will be used as evidence for investigation.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health, here are some hotlines to reach out to for support: