Death rumors surrounding Kris Wu, the former EXO member currently serving a 13-year prison sentence in China, have rapidly circulated across social media platforms in recent days.
Chinese authorities have officially refuted these claims, declaring them unverified disinformation that could lead to legal consequences for those who spread false information.​
THE voices began spreading widely on November 13, with multiple unconfirmed claims emerging primarily through Weibo posts and social media channels in Greater China. According to reports, a user who claimed to be incarcerated together with Wu posted allegations about his death, saying that prison guards had mentioned that Wu had died suddenly. Some posts included explicit claims suggesting Wu had been attacked by prison gang members, while other accounts claimed he died following a prolonged hunger strike.
To support these rumors, another post circulated showing a blurry photograph purportedly showing Wu during interrogation in a blue prison uniform. However, the Jiangsu Provincial Police Department released an official statement declaring that the image was fabricated, explaining that it was created by combining a past news story with a digitally replaced face of Wu.
Chinese authorities have stressed that no credible evidence supports these death claims. State and mainstream media have reported no confirmation of Wu’s death, and both prison and judicial authorities have remained silent on the matter, beyond police warnings about the spread of unverified information.
This is not the first time speculation about Wu’s death has surfaced. In March 2025, rumors emerged when Canadian authorities announced that four Canadian citizens had been executed in China for drug trafficking crimes.
Some online users speculated that Wu, who holds Canadian citizenship, may have been among those executed. However, this theory he was quickly fired because Wu had never faced drug-related charges. Furthermore, in April this year, similar death rumors circulated online, which also turned out to be unfounded.​
Wu debuted as a member of EXO in 2012 but left the group in 2014 after filing a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate his exclusive contract. He later moved to China, where he worked as an actor and singer.
In 2021, following accusations from 24 people, including a former member of the girl group, Wu was arrested allegations of sexual assault. He was convicted in November 2022 of raping three women and organizing group sexual activity. After serving his 13-year sentence, Wu is expected to be deported to Canada.
