Alleged death of Canadian from plastic surgery complications likely a hoax

[Correction: May 4]

Reports about a Canadian actor Saint Von Colucci who died from plastic surgery complications are likely a hoax. The Daily Mail, who purportedly spoke with his manager, has deleted its article, and TMZ reported that Saint may not be a real person.

According to reports, South Korean media also contacted the Seoul Metropolitan Police, who responded that it is not aware of any cases of death from plastic surgery recently.

Suspicions were first raised by Raphael Rashid, a journalist based in Seoul, who claimed the photos used in the Daily Mail article may have been AI-generated.

A rookie Canadian actor trying to catch his big break in South Korea has died from plastic surgery complications.

Saint Von Colucci, 22, had undergone 12 plastic surgery procedures to look like BTS' Jimin, DailyMail.com reported, and died following complications last Saturday (April 22).

"It's very tragic and very unfortunate," his publicist Eric Blake told the publication.

Saint moved to South Korea in 2019 and was reportedly a trainee in an entertainment company. He got a jaw implant in November last year and went into surgery on April 22 to remove it, according to Blake.

He contracted an infection and died a few hours later from complications.

The publicist added that Saint had spent US$220,000 (S$294,000) over the last year on the jaw surgery, implants, face lift, rhinoplasty, eye lift, eyebrow lift, lip reduction and other minor procedures.

"He was very insecure about his looks," Blake said. "He had a very square jawline and chin and he didn't like the shape of it because he thought it was too wide. He wanted a V-shape like many Asians have."

He added: "It was very hard for him to get a job in South Korea and he felt very discriminated against for his Western looks."

V-line surgery involves the use of oscillating saws that shave the mandible and may involve intentional breaking and realignment of the jaw, according to a report in the Harvard Medical Student Review.

Facial implants are used to bring balance to the appearance of a face, and commonly used to enhance the chin, jaw and/or cheeks, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

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Blake added that Saint was aware of the risks associated with procedures, but still wanted to get them.

According to South Korean media, Saint was known in the country for being a Canadian-Portuguese singer-songwriter. He acted in an upcoming K-drama that is set to air on major streaming platforms in the US in October. In it, he plays a European exchange student who becomes a K-pop idol overnight.

"He was very, very excited and worked really hard," Blake told DailyMail.com, adding that Saint was hoping the show would create some buzz to launch his music career.

Saint wasn't the only Westerner who wanted to look like Jimin.

Back in 2018, British YouTuber Oli London reportedly spent more than £75,000 (S$124,600) to look like the BTS idol, including getting four rhinoplasties and an eyelid surgery to appear more 'Korean'.

"I want my entire lifestyle to revolve around K-pop and I want my entire look to look like Jimin… for me, he is perfection," he said.

Oli later 'married' a cardboard cutout of Jimin in a Las Vegas ceremony in 2020.

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drimac@asiaone.com