[Sportschosun] Fans are sending support after it was belatedly revealed that Taiwanese singer Leehom Wang, 49, suffered a serious fall during a performance and badly injured his face and ear, but still stayed on stage until the end.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the Taiwanese American singer recently shared photos on social media showing the accident and his hospital treatment. He said he underwent surgery that required 39 stitches in total, including 27 in his ear and 12 in his face.
He fell on April 4 while descending onto the stage with a wire rig during a concert in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, after his foot got caught in a safety device. He then struck the edge of a metal structure on the left side of his ear.
The in-ear monitor he was wearing at the time reportedly damaged the cartilage in his ear from the impact, causing heavy bleeding.
The accident happened during the first song of the show, but Wang did not stop the performance. He continued for hours with the in-ear monitor moved to his right ear instead of his left.
On social media, he said, "I don't feel the pain when I'm performing in front of 40,000 fans," adding, "The show must go on."
Fortunately, detailed hospital tests showed no significant damage to his brain or skull.
Wang returned to the stage in Chengdu the day after receiving treatment, as scheduled. After the concert, he wrote, "I didn't feel pain on stage. Your love was the best medicine."
Fans sent messages of support, saying, "That kind of injury must have made it hard even to sing, so it's amazing that he finished the show," and "I hope he gets enough rest."
Some fans also urged his agency to strengthen safety checks for performances.
Wang's team said medical staff had approved the resumption of performances and explained that the accident was caused by carelessness during the operation of the wire equipment.
This was not Wang's first stage accident. At a previous concert in Macau, a wire device malfunction left him suspended in the air for a while and unable to come down. At a show in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, last year, a lift device operated differently than planned and nearly caused him to lose his balance, though it did not lead to a major accident.
Meanwhile, the incident is also seen as helping restore Wang's public image after he had faced difficulties in his career amid a long-running privacy scandal. His activities had slowed after his ex-wife Lee Jing-lei exposed his alleged affair in 2021, but the professionalism he showed in this performance has drawn renewed attention and won back fan support.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
