15-Year-Old Son of Famous Actress Suddenly Passes Away in His Sleep
A heartbreaking loss that has left the public in mourning.
On July 28, ETtoday reported that Taiwanese actress Lee Yu-Ru tearfully announced the passing of her 15-year-old son, Niu Niu. According to Lee, her family initially didn’t notice anything unusual when Niu Niu remained asleep. When they finally realized he was unresponsive, they rushed him to the hospital, but it was too late. Doctors confirmed that her son had passed away in his sleep.
“My son is gone. He left peacefully in his sleep. I will never be able to see him again. I hope he can walk and run freely in heaven. Mommy will love you forever and ever,” Lee Yu-Ru wrote in a heartbreaking post on social media.
Lee revealed that her son had been battling a rare condition called AADC deficiency (Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency) since birth, which severely impaired his nervous system. Most children with this disorder only survive 2–3 years. Thanks to intensive medical treatment and constant care, Niu Niu lived until the age of 15 — a miracle that moved many.
Before his sudden passing, Niu Niu showed no signs of critical physical issues, making his death an even more devastating shock to the family.
Lee Yu-Ru is a well-known actress and primetime TV host in Taiwan’s entertainment industry. She had experienced serious health issues that made conceiving difficult and suffered 10 miscarriages before finally giving birth to Niu Niu. She later revealed that her prenatal doctor had deceived her by concealing the baby’s medical condition. It wasn’t until after the birth that she learned her son had a life-threatening illness.
The burden of caring for a severely ill child also took a toll on her marriage, which eventually ended. Abandoned by her husband and overwhelmed by her son’s condition, Lee once suffered from severe depression and even harbored thoughts of ending her own life. But her love for her child kept her going. She dedicated every day to keeping her son alive with unconditional love.
Tragically, Niu Niu’s long battle with illness came to an end — he passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 15.
