Sina Weibo user Zong Lin, whose verified identity was the supervisor in charge of business and marketing of the business department for Chinese-Luxury.com, alleged that famous Chinese singer Tang Can was sentenced to 15 years in prison on his Weibo account early this morning. The post was deleted as of Wednesday afternoon, however a screen scratch of the post was still widespread online.

Tang and her manager have not made any comments on the rumor, which spiked another round of heated discussion over the possibility of Tang’s involvement in corrupt officials’ cases.

@吴淑平: I learned the news from Twitter and hope there can be an official response on the rumor. The 38-year-old Tang from Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, was China’s first-grade singer. She was enrolled in the China Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble in 1996 and served as a soloist there. Rumors said she was investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection because of her involvement in the case of Xu Zongheng, former Shenzhen mayor who was sentenced to death on May 9, 2011, with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes.

@小倪1595: I’d like to see the truth. All Tang’s posts on her Sina Weibo account were deleted.

@格桑小巫: I did not find any official news that Tang was arrested. Even if she was arrested, she could not have been sentenced so quickly. It might not be true that she has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

@记者刘向南: I learned the news about Tang on Weibo this morning, but there is still no authoritative voice regarding the widespread rumors online. If the rumor is not true, the relevant authorities or Tang herself, or even the Sina Weibo content management department should stop it from spreading further.

@红布绿花朵_: It is really astounding news.