(File Photo)

Li Yong, China’s former star anchor, died on Thursday at the age of 50 following 17 months of cancer treatment in the US, Li’s wife announced on Weibo.

Li, who was born on May 3, 1968, in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, enrolled in Communication University of China in 1987, one of China's top institution for media production. In 1991, he joined China Central Television as a writer and director.

(With input from Chinadaily.com.cn)