Idris Talha Kartav, also know as Tang Xiaoqiang, a regular guest speaker on the Chinese variety show Informal Talks, was found dead in a collapsed hotel caused by the Turkish-Syrian quake, one of his friends confirmed on Chinese social media on Friday.

Photo of Kartav posted by the Weibo account of Chinese variety show Informal Talks.

“My lifelong brother Tang Xiaoqiang is confirmed dead from the Turkish earthquake. Please do not spread messages about him and respect the feelings of his family and friends," Omar, an Iraqi influencer, wrote on Weibo in Chinese. “I lost a brother who’s like from my family. Inshallah. Your soul will ascend to the highest place of heaven. Allah rahmet eylesin.”

“Thank you everyone for supporting this good guy,” wrote Omar. “Please keep your memories of him. Remember his beautiful soul.”

The post drew more than 15,000 comments, with countless netizens describing Kartav as “humorous,” “a good friend,” and “kind,” and expressing their grief over the tragic loss.

Informal Talks is a Chinese talk show co-produced by Bilibili and Hubei Television. The show seeks to inspire its audience by inviting foreign youth from different countries to discuss hot-button social and cultural topics in a casual way. Kartav first appeared on the show in 2016.

Kartav came to China as an international student at Xiamen University and then saw his career take off in China. His personality both on and off the TV screen earned him widespread popularity among Chinese audiences. A news article in 2015 also reported he offered help to an injured driver and two passengers when he saw a road accident in Xiamen, East China’s Fujian Province.

The death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday has climbed above 21,000, and tens of thousands are injured.

(Compiled by Zhang Tianchen)