'Mortal Instruments' Actor Godfrey Gao Dead At 35

Model and actor Godfrey Gao has sadly passed away.

The Taiwanese-Canadian star best known for playing Magnus Bane in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, reportedly went into cardiac arrest and collapsed while filming a Chinese reality game show called Chase Me on Wednesday. According to reports across multiple media outlets, Gao was rushed to a nearby hospital but died just three hours later. He was only 35 years old.

Godfrey’s management team, Jetstar Entertainment, has released a statement about the star’s death which reads:

“In the early hours of Nov. 27, our beloved Godfrey collapsed while filming on set. Unfortunately following three hours of medical rescue efforts, he left us. We are very shocked and saddened and even until now find it impossible to accept. Thank you media friends and every fan of Godfrey’s for their concern. His management and team were by his side and his family were urgently rushed to the location. Please respect Godfrey’s family in this time of sorrow and refrain from disturbing them. We will accompany Godfrey’s family to handle discreet funeral arrangements. Thank you, everyone.”

Such sad news…

The BBC reports Gao collapsed while running in a team event for the reality TV program, which pairs celebrities, cast members, and regular people together to compete in a series of physical tasks. It sounds fairly comparable to competitions like American Ninja Warrior, which also features challenging obstacle courses meant for entertainment.

A rep from Chase Me told the outlet the show’s on-site paramedics immediately began administering life-saving measures before rushing Godfrey to the hospital but, unfortunately, they were unable to save him. The cause of death is said to be cardiac arrest, but, it’s certainly off-putting to hear of this happening to someone at such a young age.

Gao was born in Taipei, Taiwan on September 22, 1984, and apart from his standout role in Mortal Instruments, he also enjoyed a successful modeling career. The star made history back in 2011 when he became the first Asian model to be cast in a Louis Vuitton campaign.

Furthermore, Godfrey had his whole life ahead of him and it’s devastating to hear it was cut short so soon.

A few of his former co-stars have already begun to share touching tributes on social media, too.

Lily Collins took to her Instagram and shared a still from their 2013 film together, as seen here: