A Chinese social media influencer known for her 2.2m height and relationship with her shorter boyfriend has died at the age of 26, leaving behind a son who is not yet a year old.
Xiaoyue, who was known online for her towering height, died in the early hours of Sunday (Oct 11) after battling multiple medical conditions, according to Chinese media outlet Yangtze News.
Her boyfriend, Zihao, announced her death on social media that same day, posting an obituary stating that her funeral would be kept simple, in accordance with her wishes and those of her family. No memorial service would be held.
Xiaoyue and Zihao attracted attention online for their 52cm height difference, with Xiaoyue standing at 2.2m and Zihao at 1.68m, Lianhe Zabao reported.
The couple had been together for about four years and primarily shared videos documenting their daily lives. They were based mainly in Chongqing, China, and built a following through content highlighting their contrasting heights.
Both were social media content creators, with their accounts attracting tens of thousands of followers.
Lianhe Zaobao reported that Xiaoyue announced the birth of their son in October 2025.
Her last video on her personal account was posted on Aug 18. In its caption, she wrote: "Even when life is full of hardships, warmth still holds me up," Yangtze News reported.
In July, Zihao revealed in a video that Xiaoyue had been diagnosed with pituitary gigantism, secondary diabetes, a pituitary tumour and a meningioma, a type of tumour that develops in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
She was also found to have extremely high blood sugar levels and kidney failure. Yangtze said she had been diagnosed with pituitary gigantism and secondary diabetes.
Zihao subsequently brought Xiaoyue to the countryside to rest while they waited for her blood sugar levels to stabilise before proceeding with surgery.
Speaking to Red Star News, he said he had not expected her condition to prove fatal.
"The doctor told me it was actually a very minor condition and that all she needed was a minimally invasive procedure to remove the tumour in her brain," he said, according to the report.
"I never imagined this illness would take someone's life. I thought that as long as her blood sugar came down, she could undergo surgery."
Zihao added that many people had assumed their online content was staged, and that the couple did not know how to defend themselves against such claims, Red Star News reported.
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