Taiwan singer-songwriter and producer Yuan Wei-jen dies at 57

Taiwanese singer-songwriter and record producer Yuan Wei-jen, a pivotal figure in Mandopop whose work shaped the sound of a generation, has died at the age of 57, according to Taiwanese media reports.

In a memorial message released by his family, they said Yuan will be laid to rest in Taipei alongside his father, in a place he knew well and loved. “It is a place with mountains and water,” the statement read. “We are grateful that he left behind so many songs — songs to listen to when we miss him, when we drive, when we are heartbroken, when we are calm. He is everywhere.”

Tributes quickly poured in from across the Chinese-language music world. Mainland singer Lao Lang paid tribute to Yuan on his personal Weibo account, remembering him as a deeply influential musician whose songs resonated far beyond borders.

Mainland singer Lao Lang pays tribute to Yuan Wei-jen on his personal Weibo account.

Born on June 24, 1968, in Taiwan, Yuan built a distinguished career as a performer, lyricist, composer and producer. He wrote some of the most enduring ballads in Mandopop, including “Conquer,” “Just Like a Dream,” and “Awaken” for Na Ying, songs that remain staples of Chinese pop music decades later.

As a producer, Yuan worked with many of the region’s most prominent artists and groups, including S.H.E., Power Station, Chyi Chin, and Dick Cowboy, helping define the emotional, melody-driven style that dominated Mandopop in the late 1990s and early 2000s. From 2007 onward, he also became a familiar face to television audiences as a judge on multiple singing competition programs.

Yuan’s later years were marked by serious health challenges. In 2018, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage after a fall that resulted in severe head injuries. Although he underwent rehabilitation at home, reports later said he fell again in 2020, slipping into a coma and being admitted to intensive care. Doctors subsequently determined that he had entered a vegetative state due to brain damage.

In November 2025, Chinese media reported that Yuan had been rushed to hospital by ambulance after experiencing physical distress, though details of his condition were not publicly disclosed at the time.