Taipei: Taiwanese singer-songwriter and record producer Yuan Wei-jen, also known as "Xiao Pang Lao Shi" (Little Fat Teacher), has died at the age of 57, his family announced. Yuan passed away on Monday, leaving behind a legacy in the music industry.

According to Focus Taiwan, Yuan suffered a brain hemorrhage and fell into a coma after collapsing in Shanghai, China, in 2018. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery, spending extended periods recovering in Taitung County. In 2020, he was hospitalized again following a fall at his home in Taitung, after which he slipped into a coma and remained bedridden.

Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital reported that Yuan passed away around 10 a.m. on Monday. His family has taken his body home and is preparing funeral arrangements. Yuan's second eldest sister, Yuan Ai-chen, posted a message on record producer Chen Tzu-hung's Facebook page, expressing that Yuan passed away peacefully and is finally free.

She mentioned that Yuan will be buried in Taipei alongside their father in a familiar place with mountains and water. Yuan Ai-chen spoke of his musical legacy, encouraging people to listen to his songs whenever they miss him. "He is everywhere," she noted.

Yuan was married to actress Lu Yuan-chi for 14 years before their divorce in 2016. When Yuan collapsed in Shanghai, Lu traveled from Taiwan with their two children to visit him. After Yuan returned to Taitung and was assessed to be in a vegetative state, his second eldest sister primarily took on caregiving responsibilities, while Lu and the children expressed their concern quietly through various means.

Lu, through her manager, requested privacy for herself and the children as the family arranges the funeral. She learned of Yuan's death around noon on Monday.