Online, people wept, mourned, and expressed sympathy. "RIP" and crying emojis flooded the screen. Gu Yan's fans, people who knew her, people who didn't, and random passersby all joined in.
Meanwhile, Gu Yan's haters gleefully came out in force, sneering and spreading rumors at will.
Within minutes, entertainment accounts across social media began flooding the feeds. The images differed and the wording varied slightly, but the posts all said much the same thing.
Just a few minutes later, beyond those nearly identical press releases, plenty of rumors had sprung up.
Some didn't name names. They just claimed they'd heard that some celebrity had accompanied clients for drinks and sex, partied wildly, and been treated like an object. They'd always known that celebrity was crazy.
Others named names outright, saying they'd heard from friends at Gu Yan's agency that she was dependent on drugs and always carried a bottle of pills with her.
Then there were random passersby, whose stories might or might not have been true, claiming they'd seen someone who looked a lot like Gu Yan leaving a psychiatrist's office at some hospital or other.
The most plausible accounts came from people claiming to have been on the same flight as Gu Yan. They said they'd seen her go berserk and scream, shove her manager and the flight attendants aside, rush into the bathroom, and lock herself in. Even after the crew forced the door open and dragged her out, she'd struggled with all her strength.
The many faces of the internet.
For a moment, I didn't know how to feel about any of it.
I knew Gu Yan, though she didn't know me, but I wasn't her fan. I knew nothing about her private life or the pressures she'd been under. I barely knew any of her