Martial arts icon Jet Li donates £597,000 to family of stuntman killed on set of The Expendables 2

Kun Liu's parents received just £19k after four-year court battle.

Martial arts icon Jet Li has donated HK$5.8 million ( £597,000) to the family of tragic stuntman Kun Lui.

Liu was killed while performing on an inflatable boat on the Ognyanovo dam in Bulgaria on the set of The Expendables 2 in 2011. The Beijing native died from the injuries he sustained from a nearby explosion.

Following the 26-year-old's death, Nu Image/Millennium Films released a statement that read: "Our deepest condolences go to the family of Kun Liu. His passing is tragic. "

In 2012, Liu's parents Zong Yu Liu and Yan Mei Bai filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Millennium Films and the movie's stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski, seeking unspecified damages as well as funeral costs. They claimed that filmmakers "negligently and carelessly failed to provide adequate protection from harm to the participants of the stunts".

The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, also claimed that his untimely death had robbed them of "love, comfort, attention, services and support" of their son.

According to Malaymail Online, the Romeo Must Die actor − worth an estimated $200m − gifted the sum after Lui's family were awarded HK$195,000 (£19,466) following a four-year court battle. Many fans thought that although the judge ruled in their favour, the sum they received devalued their son's life.

Although it is not known when he made the donation, Hong Kong entertainment sites report he had intended for it to remain private.

IBTimes UK has reached out to Li's representatives for comment.

Li was recently the victim of death hoax after a Facebook page announced his death, claiming he passed away in July. Back in 2013, the star was received treatment for an overactive thyroid.

His rep reassured fans hours later that the 54-year-old was alive and well. "He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimised by this hoax," the statement to AP read. "He's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet."