All it took was one wrong step.
Forty-three-year-old actor Jia Hong Sheng had a blooming career
back in the 80s as one of China's most well-known actors.
His meteoric fall from grace began when he fell into the drug
trap and was the first Chinese celebrity to admit to taking drugs.
He was admitted into a mental institute in 1995 and managed to kick
the addiction afterwards.
In the subsequent years, Jia struggled in his career, with a few
sporadic appearances in plays and movies. He was said to be
thinking of making a comeback recently. But that ended when he
jumped from a building on July 5.
Jia used to date acclaimed actress Zhou Xun briefly for a year.
Back then Zhou Xun was still relatively unknown and Jia had tried
to help her by bringing her to audition for a role in a major
production. The pair split when Zhou Xun left him for someone
else.
According to Jia's close friend, Zhou Xun has been crying over
tragedy. The close friend also revealed that Jia did not display
signs of depression and had even met up with him to discuss his
comeback over a meal.
Zhou Xun did not respond to questions and her manager spoke to
the media on her behalf.
"This is truly shocking and saddening news. I believe what Jia
Hong Sheng needs now is peace so I hope everyone can respect him
and his family."