Bun Hay Mean, a French comedian who appeared in films like The Chef and TV shows including Craignos, has died at 43 after falling from a building in Paris.
Mean’s management agency, the Promotion Philippe Delmas Organisation, confirmed his death, which occurred Thursday, on his and its official Instagram, noting that he was set to perform a stand-up show in Montreal on Friday.
“It is with infinite sadness that we must announce the passing of our friend, our immense artist, Bun Hay Mean,” the agency’s statement began. “He was scheduled to leave for Montreal late this morning to perform July 11. He was so happy to be back on stage, with his audience.”
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The agency said that Mean “slipped and fell several stories” while trying to grab his phone from a balcony gutter just before he departed for Montreal.
“We are devastated, and our thoughts are with his family: his mother, his father, his brothers and sisters,” the statement concluded.
Mean fell from the eighth story of a building in Paris’ 17th arrondissement, the French outlet Le Parisien reported.
Paris authorities did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for further information.
Mean had more than 30 stand-up appearances scheduled over the next year for his Kill Bun tour, with several shows lined up across France every month between October and May.
The Singular Agency, which was handling his Montreal show, also released a statement about Mean’s death. “It was with great sadness that we learned of Bun Hay Mean’s passing, just as he was preparing to perform his show in Montreal,” the agency wrote, noting that tickets for the show will be refunded. “We were looking forward to welcoming him here. All our thoughts are with his loved ones and family. Rest in peace, Bun.”
Born in the Bordeaux suburb Lormont in 1981 to a Cambodian father and a Chinese mother, Mean studied computer science before moving to Paris to pursue comedy in his mid-20s.
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Following a period of homelessness in the city, Mean began his screen career in the early 2010s with supporting roles in films like De L’huile sur le Feu and The Chef, the latter of which starred Jean Reno. He also appeared in shows like Roxane, La vie Sexuelle de Ma Pote, and Reboot.
Mean rose to prominence in the Parisian comedy scene when he joined the Jamel Comedy Club in 2014 and debuted his first stand-up show, Chinois Marrant dans la Légende de Bun Hay Mean, the same year.
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Over the next decade, Mean appeared in movies like Problemos and The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman as well as TV shows like Craignos and Platane. He joined the massively popular Asterix franchise in its 2023 film, The Middle Kingdom, in which he portrayed the villainous Prince Deng Tsin Qin.