Key points: Malaysian artist Namewee (Wee Meng Chee) was released on bail until Nov. 26 after being named a person of interest in the Oct. 22 death of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh, who was found in a hotel bathtub. Police say Namewee was the last person to see her and reported finding nine blue pills in the room; authorities also reported positive drug tests, which he denies. An autopsy is pending and investigators will refer the case to the deputy public prosecutor once results are available.
Namewee Released on Bail as Autopsy Pending in Death of Taiwanese Influencer
Key points: Malaysian artist Namewee (Wee Meng Chee) was released on bail until Nov. 26 after being named a person of interest in the Oct. 22 death of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh, who was found in a hotel bathtub. Police say Namewee was the last person to see her and reported finding nine blue pills in the room; authorities also reported positive drug tests, which he denies. An autopsy is pending and investigators will refer the case to the deputy public prosecutor once results are available.
06:01 PM, 11/13/2025Culture
Namewee Released on Bail as Autopsy Pending in Death of Taiwanese Influencer
Malaysian artist Namewee (born Wee Meng Chee) was granted bail on Thursday after police identified him as a person of interest in the investigation into the death of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh (also known as Hsieh Yu-hsin), authorities said.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus said Namewee has been released on bail until Nov. 26 while investigators await the results of Hsieh's autopsy. Once the autopsy is complete, the case file will be referred to the deputy public prosecutor's office, the police chief added. Officials did not disclose the bail amount.
Police say Hsieh, 31, was found dead in a bathtub at a luxury Kuala Lumpur hotel on Oct. 22. Malaysian authorities have said Namewee, 42, was believed to be the last person to see her alive. Local reports indicate nine blue pills thought to be ecstasy were recovered in the hotel room; police also said Namewee tested positive for several substances, including amphetamines, methamphetamine, ketamine and THC. He denies any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty to drug-related charges.
Namewee: "The truth will speak for itself," he wrote on Instagram, denying involvement as the inquiry continues.
Namewee is an actor, filmmaker and outspoken hip-hop artist who performs mainly in Mandarin and has found commercial success in China and Taiwan. He has previously courted controversy — including a 2007 parody of Malaysia's national anthem and past arrests over videos critics said insulted Islam — and was blacklisted by Beijing in 2021 after releasing a track that mocked Chinese nationalists.
Hsieh, who amassed more than half a million followers on Instagram, reportedly had several other social accounts suspended for alleged "adult sexual solicitation." Her social media manager told reporters the influencer's family could not travel to Malaysia to follow the case because of "severe disabilities."
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have emphasized that the autopsy results will be pivotal and that no charges related to Hsieh's death have been filed pending further forensic findings.