KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian rapper-actor Namewee has confirmed that he is fine after faking his death on April Fools’ Day.

In a social media post at 2.20am on April 2, the 40-year-old said he did so to share the importance of “pre-planning for one’s passing”.

According to Namewee, many things happened to him in the past year, including facing considerable pressure, receiving warning signs about his health and making multiple trips to the hospital emergency room.

The controversial artiste – whose real name is Wee Meng Chee – added that he had lost many friends, as well as his pet of 13 years.

He said: “Something you realise at the end of your life is that no matter how great your achievements were or how extraordinary you became, everyone will still face death in the end.”

The All In (2024) star continued: “This made me realise the significance of pre-funeral arrangements. I wrote a song, filmed a music video, planned a pre-funeral farewell ceremony and intended to turn everything into a documentary.”

In his post, Namewee called for everyone to be brave in facing both life and death. According to him, pre-funeral arrangements are widely practised by many people overseas.

“When discussing death, we shouldn’t avoid talking about it, but face it bravely,” he wrote.

On April 1 at 12.02am, a black-and-white photo of Namewee was posted to social media with the caption “1983-2024”.

In an “obituary” posted four hours later, it was said that a “wake” would be held from 2 to 10pm and that a “farewell ceremony” would take place from 8 to 10pm that same day.

A photo showing a coffin and a display of his career highlights was also uploaded on social media that afternoon.

While some left condolences in the comments section, others were sceptical.

In his social media post, Namewee said he was touched to see that many people cared about him and that he felt lucky to be able to “see my own funeral” and “experience things others can’t”.

As for those who were dragging him down and saying they were disappointed with his stunt, he said he regarded them as “fake fans”. “If you’re a true fan, you would understand the importance of this event and the fact that I have conducted other much more drastic campaigns before.”

Namewee is releasing a new music video on April 4 at 4.44pm and also told fans to look out for his documentary. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK