Jackie Chan turned 70 on April 7 and took to Instagram to celebrate...and to address fan concern after recent photos of him sparked concern.
Fans of the action legend expressed their worry after photos of Chan at a recent public appearance showed him looking older and grayer than usual.
You can see some of the photos below:
Upon seeing the photos, many raised questions about the iconic stuntman's current health condition.
@everymovieplug So sad \ud83d\udc94 seeing our childhood heroes ageing. Thanks for the memories and Happy Birthday Legend. Ar— (@)
On Sunday, though, Chan assured everyone that his current, more fragile-looking appearance is all for a new role.
Sharing some of his most "memorable" photos, he began his post:
"Even before today, many friends have been reminding me: 'Jackie, it’s going to be your 70th birthday!'"
"Every time I hear this number, my heart would stop for a second - l’m 70 years old already?"
"After recovering from the shock, the second thing that would come to my mind is a saying that my big brother, Sammo Hung once said: 'being able to grow old is a fortunate thing.' Especially for us stunt people, we don’t know how lucky we are to be able to grow old."
Chan continued, addressing concern over his health.
"Not so long ago, a lot of friends saw some recent photos of me on the internet, and they were all concerned about my health."
"I want to take this opportunity to let everyone know, don’t worry! It’s just a character appearance for my latest movie."
"The character requires me to have white hair, white beard and look old."
"Over the years, I’ve always been willing to try new things for a movie, no matter if it’s a challenging stunt or a breakthrough appearance for a character."
"I’ve been in the entertainment business for 62 years and I cherish every moment because I’m lucky I’m still filming today."
The Rush Hour star then explained the photos in his carousel.
"Recently my staff have been going through my photo archives and found so many memorable photos. I’ve selected a few to post with this message."
"Looking at these photos brings back so many fond memories."
"All I can say is: I love making movies and I love you all."
You can see below.
Needless to say, the masses collectively expressed their relief and wished their hero a happy birthday.
@jackiechan/Instagram
@jackiechan/Instagram
@jackiechan/Instagram
@jackiechan/Instagram
@jackiechan/Instagram
@jackiechan/Instagram
@jackiechan/Instagram
@jackiechan/Instagram
@jackiechan/Instagram
@jackiechan/Instagram
Chan finished his post expressing his gratitude.
"A big thank you to everyone for all your birthday wishes."
"Hope everyone stays happy and healthy!"
Happy birthday, Mr. Chan. We're so happy to hear you're in good health!