Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Godfrey Gao, Magnus Bane in The Mortal Instruments, collapses on set, dies at 35
Godfrey Gao, an actor known for playing warlock Magnus Bane in the 2013 film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, sadly died this morning at the age of 35 after reportedly collapsing on the set of Chase Me, a reality television show in China.
According to IMDB, the cause of death was a heart attack.
"We are shocked and saddened" by the incident, JetStar Entertainment said said in an official statement, adding that Gao's family was "rushing to the scene." Godfrey (also known as Gao Yixiang), who suddenly fell to the ground during filming, was treated by medical staff before he was transported to the hospital where he passed away three hours later.
JetStar offered its thanks to "friends in the media and everyone who supported Godfrey," but also asked that his family be left alone to mourn.
"We feel extremely distressed and extremely sad," said the producers of Chase Me, which pits celebrities against contestants in various physical challenges. The producers added that they were working with Gao's family "to properly handle the aftermath."
Born in Taiwan in 1984, Gao moved to Canada as a child and began his acting career in the mid-2000s. He was also the first Asian man to model for Louis Vitton. In 2013, he starred alongside Lily Collins and Lena Headey in the big screen adaptation of Cassandra Clare's first Mortal Instruments novel, City of Bones. No sequel was ever produced, although a TV series based on the Clare's series, Shadowhunters, would air on The CW three years later.
"There were no real-life experiences to draw on and that was pretty hard. I read the book and had many meetings with the director to nail down the different attributes of the character," Godfrey said of Bane during an interview with Men's Folio in 2016.
Gao, who is quite famous in China, appeared in a number of Chinese-language projects, including this year's Shanghai Fortress, a sci-fi epic about a group of futuristic humans fighting back against alien conquerers.
(via CNN)
