Did Canadian actor die after surgery to look like Korean? Here’s what we know

The reports of Saint Von Colucci, the Canadian actor who passed away after spending $220,000 for 12 cosmetic surgeries to look like a K-pop star, have sparked controversy in the global media.

On April 24, Daily Mail UK reported that Saint underwent plastic surgeries in order to feature as Jimin in a forthcoming series for a US-based streaming platform.

Jimin is a member of The Bangtan Boys (BTS), a popular South Korean boy band.

In the now-deleted Daily Mail report, which was also posted by TMZ, the 22-year-old actor was, however, said to have suffered complications from jaw surgery and was confirmed dead at a South Korean hospital.

Saint was said to have developed an infection from the jaw implants and due to complications, he was intubated before he died hours later.

The report quoted Eric Blake, Saint’s publicist, to have said the actor had undergone twelve cosmetic procedures over the last year – including jaw surgery, implants, facelift, nose job, eye lift, eyebrow lift, lip reduction, and other minor surgeries.

He was also quoted to have said Saint was aware of the risks associated with cosmetic surgeries but still wanted to get them.

He said the Canadian actor moved to South Korea in 2019 to try and break into the music industry.

“It’s very tragic and very unfortunate. He was very insecure about his looks,” Blake was quoted to have said.

“He had a very square jawline and chin and he didn’t like the shape of it because he thought it was too wide and wanted a V-shape, the shape many Asians have.

“It was very hard for him to get a job in South Korea and he felt very discriminated against because of his Western looks.”

The report was published by numerous media outlets across the world.

WAS IT FAKE NEWS?

TMZ, in a fresh report, said Saint’s death as a result of a dozen cosmetic surgeries “was one big hoax… in fact, he may not have even been a real person.”

“It was all a lie. It’s possible Saint Von Colucci isn’t even a real person, let alone a victim of a death hoax,” the report added.

Corroborating TMZ’s report, Aljazeera said Saint “may have never existed”, adding that “a raft of evidence suggests he is the product of an elaborate hoax using artificial intelligence that fooled dozens of media outlets.”

The media outlet quoted Felix M Simon, a doctoral student at the Oxford Internet Institute, as saying “Mis- and disinformation generated with the help of AI tools are certainly a reason for concern inasmuch as they will make the life of fact-checkers and journalists more difficult.”

Daily Mail Online has since taken down the article without any explanation or retraction notice.

Editor’s note: The original story suggested Saint Von Collucci died after undergoing 12 surgeries to look like a K-pop star. However, fresh facts have emerged that Saint may have never existed and that the report may be a hoax.