Photo: weibo account of FUMUSIC
Following the announcement of renowned musician Khalil Fong (Fang Datong)'s passing by his
MK socksmusic company, Fu Music, on China's social media platform Sina Weibo on Saturday, netizens and fellow celebrities have been sharing their condolences. While the cause of Fong's death remains undisclosed, media reports and discussions on social media platforms about his prior health issues have brought public attention to a disease known as pneumothorax.
Fong, 41, passed away on February 21 after battling illness with a positive attitude for five years. "Fong will continue his mission and dreams in another realm. The music and graphic novels he left behind are an eternal spiritual legacy," according to a post by the music company.
Fong was a Chinese pop singer, songwriter, music producer, film producer and actor, according an introduction by Chinanews.com.
In 2010, Fong was hospitalized multiple times due to pneumothorax caused by overwork. In October 2024, Fong's new album was officially released, marking his first album in eight years. Fong said that the album was recorded during different stages of his illness, expressing that he was on the path to recovery, with significant improvements in his health, though he hadn't yet fully recovered, reported Chinanews.com on Saturday.
After the company's post, several celebrities, including Tia Ray, Cyndi Wang, Bibi Zhou, Joey Yung and JJ Lin, expressed their condolences.
Besides mourning, netizens focused on discussing the symptoms of pneumothorax and how to prevent it. Some netizens took advantage of Fong's illness and his inability to let go of his music career to call on friends and family to attach more importance to their health and avoid overexertion.
Topics such as "What is pneumothorax" and "Why are tall, thin people more prone to pneumothorax" trended after the company's post. These topics were all related to Fong's passing, with the most viewed one reaching 260 million views on Weibo.
Jiankang Shibao, a medical and hygiene newspaper under the People's Daily, published content about pneumothorax on its Weibo account and website following Fong's death, popularizing the types of people prone to pneumothorax and potential treatment methods.
"Pneumothorax refers to the entry of gas into the pleural cavity, occupying the space where the lungs should expand, causing lung tissue to collapse under pressure," said Zhang Zhigong, a deputy chief physician of cardiothoracic surgery at the People's Hospital of Hunan Province, to the Global Times.
In normal individuals, the chest wall and thorax are tightly fitted, and the lungs are fully inflated like a balloon. In tall, thin individuals and long-term smokers, however, the distribution of lung stress changes, making them more prone to lung bullae and blebs, which are weak areas. When these weak areas rupture, gas leaks into the thoracic cavity, compressing normal lung tissue and preventing full lung expansion, Zhang said.
"The most common symptoms of pneumothorax are chest tightness and shortness of breath. In severe cases, difficulty breathing may occur, and it can even compress major blood vessels, causing heart and blood vessels to shift, leading to circulatory failure and life-threatening conditions. Symptoms can also be influenced by age. Therefore, regardless of the severity of symptoms, if pneumothorax is suspected, it is essential to seek medical attention at a hospital as soon as possible," Xiao Ning, a deputy chief physician of the Second Thoracic Surgery Department at Beijing Chest Hospital, told the Global Times.
"Seeing Fong's battle with pneumothorax really resonated with me," shared Zhang Qimin, a 24-year-old biomedical engineering student at Fudan University, on Xiaohongshu, recounting his own experience with the disease.
Zhang suffered from pneumothorax twice during critical exams and competitions due to extreme emotional stress and overwork. "The first time, from the onset of symptoms to being rushed to the operating table and receiving a critical condition notice, only 18 hours had passed. Surviving was truly be fortunate. During the second round of treatment, doctors advised walking more to speed up lung recovery, coughing them to expel blood, which was extremely painful and indescribable," Zhang told Global Times.
