Self-proclaimed Chinese 'qigong master' dies

NANCHANG - Self-proclaimed "qigong master" Wang Lin, who was facing several criminal charges, has died in a hospital in east China's Jiangxi Province following an illness.

Wang died from multiple organ failure from ANCA-related vasculitis and peripheral neuritis on Friday afternoon, said Fuzhou City Intermediate People's Court.

The man, who claimed to be a master of qigong, a traditional martial art combined with meditation, came to public attention in 2013 when images of him posing for pictures with celebrities and stories of his supposed "supernatural powers" like conjuring snakes from thin air were posted on the Internet.

He was detained by police in July 2015 on the charge of illegal detention. In November last year, Fuzhou City People's Procuratorate filed a public lawsuit to the court, accusing Wang of illegal detention, fraud, illegal possession of a gun and bribery.

Because of his illness, Wang was allowed out on bail and his trial postponed in January while the trials of other defendants in the case continued.

Despite Wang's death, the court said it would issue a verdict on his case.