Wai Ching Ho, the actress best known for playing the Marvel crime boss Madame Gao in Daredevil, Iron Fist and The Defenders, died peacefully after suffering a stroke. She passed away on July 11, 2026 at the age of 82.
Ho’s Daredevil co-star Peter Shinkoda first announced her death, which was later confirmed by a spokesperson on behalf of her family.
“Just lost someone very special to me. She was one of the coolest,” Shinkoda wrote on Instagram Sunday.
He led a chorus of tributes from fellow actors recalling her kindness, mentorship and generously dispensed wisdom.
“Her family are deeply grateful for the incredible outpouring of love and support and the many beautiful messages and memories people have shared about our beloved Wai,” Ho’s family said in a statement. “Reading how much she meant to so many is comforting to us during this difficult time.”
Another of her co-stars, Mahira Kakkar, posted the following heartfelt tribute on Instagram:
I had the enormous good fortune to work with Wai Ching Ho and to share a dressing room with her. She was incredible- warm, funny, caring, joyful, positive and a truly wonderful actor. At the age of 82? 83? she played a lead role -basically a female King Lear, and was riveting.
She would say to us- Eat two slices of raw ginger every day and you won’t get sick! For those of us who did not have a lot of role models and mentors in the industry Wai was a pillar. I am deeply grateful I got to know her and I am very sad she is gone. She also utterly refused to speak ill of anyone. My dear Wai you deserve all the standing ovations- what a stellar human and a stellar artist. What an example of how to live.
Outside of her role in the Marvel television universe, she had a long and varied career. Fans might also recognize her voice as Grandma Wu in the Pixar movie Turning Red. She frequently guest-starred in shows like Law & Order and Orange Is the New Black.
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