Malaysian rapper Namewee is currently being held in connection with the death of Taiwanese internet personality Iris Hsieh, whose body was discovered in a hotel bathtub in Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago.

Authorities confirmed that Namewee, 42, was the last person to have seen 31-year-old Hsieh alive. She had traveled to Malaysia for a collaborative video project with the rapper, according to her social media representative.

Although Namewee denies accusations of drug possession and usage—which had previously led to his release on bail—police have since taken him back into custody as part of a now reclassified murder probe.

His lawyer stated that Namewee voluntarily went to the police station early Wednesday and was handed a six-day remand order.

The case has seen several unexpected developments over the past few days.

Local Malaysian reports indicate that on 22 October at around 12:30am local time (05:30 GMT), Namewee phoned emergency responders after purportedly finding Hsieh unconscious in the bathroom.

Police arrested him later that day after discovering blue pills suspected to be ecstasy inside the hotel room.

Despite claiming he hadn’t consumed drugs, toxicology tests reportedly showed the presence of multiple illegal substances in his system, including amphetamines, methamphetamine, ketamine, and THC.

On Monday, Namewee entered a plea of not guilty to the drug-related charges and was temporarily freed on bail.

In response to the media coverage, Namewee has continued to assert his innocence, accusing the press of spreading misinformation and speculation.

Known for his provocative lyrics and socially charged music, Namewee has built a large online audience with over 3.6 million YouTube subscribers and more than 850,000 Instagram followers. He is particularly popular in the Mandarin-speaking regions of Taiwan and China.

Hsieh previously made an appearance in one of Namewee's music videos for the song "China Reggaeton," which was released in early 2020.

On Tuesday, Kuala Lumpur's police chief Fadil Marsus said Namewee had been avoiding authorities following the change in classification of Hsieh’s death from “sudden” to “murder.”

At the same time, he noted that they were still awaiting full post-mortem and toxicology details to determine the exact cause of death.

In an Instagram video shared early Wednesday, Namewee announced he had arrived at the police station and expressed willingness to cooperate in helping authorities and Hsieh's family find resolution.

“I'm not running from anything,” he said in the short clip.

Wee Meng Chee, known by his stage name Namewee, has long been involved in controversies over his music and public statements.

Recognizable by his beanie and sunglasses, Namewee first entered the spotlight in 2007 with a contentious parody of Malaysia's national anthem that criticized the government. Though the video went viral, potential sedition charges were dropped after he publicly apologized and removed the content.

In 2016, his video "Oh My God," which featured him rapping in front of places of worship, also led to his brief detention. Authorities said the video disrespected Islam.

Another of his songs, "Fragile," released in 2021, mocked nationalist internet behavior and touched on politically sensitive topics like Xinjiang and Taiwan. It gained traction online but was quickly banned in China. Talking to media at the time, Namewee remarked that backlash was an expected consequence of his artistic expression.

“Some say I’m always pushing boundaries. I do that deliberately sometimes, especially when I feel a topic deserves more attention,” he explained then.

He has collaborated with major Mandarin music figures, including Power Station and Kimberly Chen, and earned multiple nominations at Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards for Best Male Mandarin Singer.

His ventures into filmmaking have also made headlines, often due to his unfiltered portrayal of race and religion in Malaysia.

While nowhere near as prominent as Namewee, Iris Hsieh had built a steady following on social media. Known for her bold photo posts, she had earned the nickname “nurse goddess” from online followers.

She graduated with a nursing degree from Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, according to Malaysian media sources.

Hsieh began gaining traction online around 2019 and published a photo collection titled "Angel Heart" in 2020.

At the time of her death, she had approximately 545,000 Instagram followers, though this was her fifth account following previous bans for violating content guidelines.

She was also active on the platform OnlyFans, having joined in 2022.

Her social media overseer, who only identified himself as Chris, said her family is not able to travel to Malaysia due to severe health issues and disabilities. They have therefore appointed local attorneys to manage the legal proceedings on their behalf.