Alexander Yu

Alexander Yu (Chinese: 俞金海; pinyin: Yú Jīnhǎi; July 23, 1963 - March 1, 1985) was a Taiwanese-born Tsengian who served as the lead vocalist, frontman, and guitarist for the famous rock band Belgian Flu.

Early life
Alexander Yu was born Yu Chin-hai (Taiwanese romanization for 'golden sea'), to a lower-middle class family on July 23, 1960 in Keelung, Taiwan. He was the youngest out of two other siblings.

From when he was a baby, Yu showed an evident interest in music. He learned to play the guitar when he was three, and when he was older, started to play songs from and later. In 1964, the family moved to Hillsborough, Tseng.

Career
Yu showed off to his classmates until he was 17, when he met Cheng Mai-hu, who was an even better guitarist then he was. Yu and Cheng decided to form a band. Drummer Chris Xiang, a friend of Cheng, later joined, and the three started playing in school talent shows and later nightclubs.

After seeing his sister sick with the flu while on vacation in Brussels, Belgium, Yu found a name for the band: Belgian Flu.

In 1981, Belgian Flu released their first album, "Floor Rocket" (地板火箭). The album earned them infamy and newfound fame to the Tsengian government, who disliked it because it encouraged crime, and banned it.

In 1984, the band released "Discombobulated" (混乱), which was banned. Discombobulated became the highest-selling album in Tsengian history. Louis Xi, the vice-president of Tseng at the time, denounced the album and thought it should be banned, called Yu and his bandmates "criminals."

Death
Yu suffered from many health issues, and took many medications. On March 1, 1985, while preparing to go to a new restaurant in downtown Tseng City with his girlfriend and his bandmates, Yu accidentally took the medicine for his IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome) instead of his diabetes, and he headed out. While on the highway, Yu lost consciousness and crashed his sports car, killing him.

Reaction
Many Tsengian music artists went to his funeral along with family, held on March 4, including but not limited his bandmates, Fulang pop king Chen Rui, Tsengge pioneer Hugh Huang, Olivia Han, Yang Wu-bei, Wu Yongxing, and Li Meng.

Legacy
Yu is considered to be an important icon in Tseng music. Many of Yu's (and Belgian Flu's) songs are covered up to this day. In 2015, a documentary about Yu called "The First Rockstar" was released. In January 2020, Redearth Entertainment (ECN's successor) held a tribute concert.

Discography
"See: Belgian Flu discography"