63-year-old martial arts legend Jet Li has once again addressed the long-running rumors claiming he received a heart transplant from a young monk. In a recent interview, he denied the stories, including rumors about blood replacement and stem cell treatments. Jet Li said he had gotten used to false death rumors over the years, joking that people had “killed him off” many times already. But this situation upset him because it involved an innocent man and his family, which is why his response has changed from humorous to serious.
The actor said “They’ve falsely said I was dead many times already. Over the past ten years, there were even fake memorial services held for me, and all kinds of rumors were spread. As public figures, we’re used to gossip, but dragging an innocent young monk into this, have people thought about how his family would feel from this second round of harm? This is something very serious.” He explained that he even looked into how heart transplant patients over 60 would normally need weeks of recovery in the hospital. He also pointed out that during the time people claimed the surgery happened, he was actually in Xinjiang visiting the set of actor Wu Jing’s movie and working long hours, with photos and videos proving it.
Last November, Jet Li had already posted a video of himself swimming and exercising shirtless to prove he had no chest scars from heart surgery. Earlier this year, he joked about the same rumors by sarcastically asking why he did not also replace his organs with “a Huawei heart, Xiaomi liver, or Tesla kidney.”
Jet Li underwent surgery in August 2025 to remove a benign tumor from his neck. After the surgery, his long-term hyperthyroidism improved significantly, and his healthier appearance surprised many people. In August 2024, a 21-year-old Shaolin monk named Qiufeng tragically died in a car accident. The monk was popular online for his good looks and martial arts skills, which led some internet users to create bizarre conspiracy theories connecting his death to Jet Li’s improved appearance.
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