Yao was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2011. Afterwards, she went through mastectomy, chemotherapy and cosmetic treatments.[1][4]
In December 2014, Yao had a recurrence of the cancer and her situation was reported to have worsened on 15 January 2015. She died a day later in Shenzhen, Guangdong, aged 33.[6][7] According to her wish, her corneas were donated to two recipients in Shenzhen and Chengdu.[8]
Memorial services were held on 20 January