Taiwanese actor Ethan Juan won Best Actor at the Taiwan Film Critics Society Award on Tuesday evening (May 21) for his role as a notorious hitman in the crime drama film The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon.

However, the 41-year-old, also known as Ethan Ruan, was unable to attend the ceremony, reportedly being by his sick mother's side at the hospital instead. Taiwanese publication Mirror Media confirmed on Wednesday that she had died the previous day.