Lin Qi death: Yoozoo CEO and Netflix producer for The Three-Body Problem dies after alleged poisoning

Shanghai police said they have made an arrest amid investigations into the CEO’s death

(VCG via Getty Images)

Lin Qi, the Yoozoo chairman and CEO who was listed as a producer on Netflix’s forthcoming series The Three-Body Problem, has died after reports he was poisoned in China.  

The Hollywood Reporter cited a statement from the entertainment company that said Lin died on Christmas Day, aged 39.

On Wednesday 23 December, a statement from the Shanghai Public Security Bureau said Lin was receiving treatment after being poisoned, and that his colleague, surnamed Xu, had been arrested amid an investigation.  

“At 5pm on 17 December 2020, the police received a call from a hospital regarding a patient surnamed Lin,” the statement said.  

“During the patient's treatment, the hospital said it had determined that the patient had been poisoned. Following the call, the police began an investigation.  

“According to investigations on site and further interviews, the police found that a suspect surnamed Xu, who is a co-worker of the victim Lin, was the most likely the perpetrator. The suspect Xu has been arrested and investigations continue.”

Local media reported that the assault on Lin was preceded by a dispute between executives at the Chinese game company. He allegedly fell ill after drinking a cup of poisoned tea.

Netflix acquired the rights to produce an English-language adaptation of The Three-Body Problem trilogy, based on the bestselling sci-fi books by Liu Cixin.  

Lin was credited as a producer on the series, which will be led by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss.