Actor Ni Min-jan (倪敏然), famous for impersonating Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), was found dead yesterday afternoon. Police believe he committed suicide.
Ni had been missing for more than a fortnight.
His body was found in a mountainous area near Toucheng (
PHOTO: LO PEI-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES
Police said they believed Ni had hanged himself about 10 days ago.
They found Ni's National Health Insurance card in his pocket, enabling his speedy identification.
Ni had admitted he had suffered from depression and had trouble sleeping. He was in a car accident some days before leaving his family, which was attributed to his taking sleeping pills and driving.
Chinese-language newspapers have claimed that Ni had an affair with Chinese actress Xia Yi (夏禕) who now works in Taiwan, and speculated that recent ructions with Xia might have prompted his suicide.
But Ni had other troubles as well. After a show business career spanning 30 years, the one time host of a popular variety show, had run into problems in recent years and had been unsuccessful in finding a new show. He had admitted to having financial problems.
Ni was most noted. latterly, for his impersonations of Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), which caught Lu's attention to the extent that Lu asked Ni to accompany her on an official tour. Ni politely turned down the offer.
Ni claimed to have read through Lu's biography and her own books, studied every anecdote from Lu's political career and visited her hometown.
"I've lived her life," Ni said, saying that he was the one who"understands and loves Lu the most in the world."
Ni was one of the few male artists to specialize in impersonating female politicians.
Hearing of Ni's death, Lu yesterday issued a statement to express her condolences.
"Ni's talent that has entertained audiences for so long was outstanding. Regarding his late performance in impersonating me, he was so wonderful, I had to offer him my best regards and deepest appreciation," Lu said in the statement.
Lu also praised Ni's social concern that had been revealed through his performances.
"Though he has left this world, his comedic skills will long remain in people's memory," she said.
Ni's family went to Toucheng yesterday, as did the famous actor, Yu Tian (余天) who was a good friend of Ni.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy