Filipino content creator suffers cardiac arrest and dies after fried chicken mukbang

Filipino mukbang content creator Dongz Apatan was last seen eating a platter of fried chicken and rice in a video on June 13 before his sister announced his death the following day.

Mukbang is a portmanteau of the Korean words for "eating" (meokneun) and "broadcast" (bangsong). It refers to live-streamed or pre-recorded videos of content creators eating while interacting with audiences.

Dongz Apatan, whose real name was Manoy Apatan, often posted reels of himself eating large platters of local food.

He had more than 457,000 followers on his Facebook page under the name Dongz Four.

Mr Apatan, who was 38, shared on June 13 a reel showing pieces of chicken being deep-fried in a wok and a video of himself eating the fried chicken and white rice.

His sister Leah Apatan posted on his Facebook page that he suffered a cardiac arrest at about 3pm and was rushed to hospital.

"There are a lot of comments that Manoy deserved to die because he was greedy about food, but it's just content," Ms Apatan told GMA News Online.

"He did not really eat much. He did not finish the platters either. Manoy was not greedy, he helped others."

Cardiologist Tony Leachon said Mr Apatan's death was caused by a hemorrhagic stroke.

"According to the doctors who treated him in the emergency room, he had blood clots in the brain. That means his blood pressure increased and blood vessels in his brain ruptured," he explained.

"It is because of salty food and the consumption of meat. You do it every day and your blood vessels in the brain will get blocked."

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This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.