Celebrity vibes

People: Jet Li, The Star Of Martial Arts Movies Is Seriously Sick

The Chinese martial arts actor made an appearance Saturday, May 19 on the Twitter account of a fan.

Photographed while in Tibet, the 55-year-old actor was completely unrecognizable. Smiling but frail, the former star of action movies Romeo must die or The One in the 2000s is only a shadow of himself.

In 2013, Jet Li had been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. This disease is a disorder of the thyroid gland, which secretes too much hormone. The symptoms of this pain can be weight loss, heart problems but also a decrease in muscle strength. At the time of the revelation of his illness, Jet Li had quoted his doctors, explaining that he could “as well continue to make action movies as spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.”

Also diminished by shooting injuries to the legs and spine, Jet Li had been forced to curb his acting career. In 2014, he played in Expendables 3 before shooting his latest movie, League of Gods, in 2016 where he played an old man. The actor has since focused on The One Foundation, which helps poor children in China. Last December, the actor seemed in better shape while he wished a happy new year to his fans in an Instagram video.