Fu's father announced on Weibo on Thursday that his son had passed away on October 25 last year because of illness. Fu's ashes were placed in a cemetery in Tianjin in May this year.

Fu had been struggling with depression before his death, his father added.

Fu was reporting an anti-extradition protest when demonstrators occupied and paralyzed the Hong Kong International Airport on the night of August 13, 2019. He was wearing an "I love HK police" blue shirt and a reflective vest with "reporter" printed on it.

"I support Hong Kong police, you can beat me now," he shouted at the airport's departure hall while filming with his phone at around 11pm.

He was confronted by protesters asking if he was a reporter, to which he replied he was a tourist. Protesters eventually tied his hands up and interrogated him while going through his belongings.

Fu was subsequently brought away by paramedics and discharged from a public hospital around noon the next day.

Three suspects involved in the incident were found guilty of rioting and assault in January 2021, and sentenced to up to five years and six months in jail.