South Korean police say the artist, found unconscious in his apartment, may have taken his own life.
K-pop star Moonbin has died at the age of 25, the artist’s record label has announced.
He was found unconscious by the businessman on Wednesday night (04/19) in the apartment where he lived in Seoul, according to police, according to South Korean press reports.
“It appears he took his own life, but an autopsy is being examined to determine the exact cause of death,” the authorities added.
Moonbin “unexpectedly left our world and became a star in the sky,” the Fantiago label said in a statement.
Moonbin had worked as an actor and model before joining the popular boy band Astro in 2016 at the age of 18.
Since 2020 he has been performing as a duo with another member of Astro, Sanha. Moonbin and Sanha were in the midst of a world tour and their last performance was in Bangkok on April 8th.
The Fantiago label reported that all Astro members would return to Seoul on Thursday for the Moonbin wake.
The label’s statement also asked people to “avoid speculative and harmful dealings” so Moonbin’s family could pay their respects in peace.
Moobin’s sister Moon Sua is also a K-pop singer, member of girl band Billlie. The brothers have already spoken in interviews about how they depended on each other.
Moonbin is the latest K-pop star to lose his life in recent years.
Singer and actress Goo Hara was found dead in her Seoul home in 2019. Her close friend, K-pop star Sulli, committed suicide after a long battle with cyberbullying the same year.
In 2018, Minwoo of boy band 100% died at home and his label said only that he suffered cardiac arrest.
Jonghyun, lead singer of SHINee, one of South Korea’s biggest boy bands, died in 2017.
South Korea has the highest youth suicide rate of any developed country, and while the country’s overall suicide rate is declining, deaths among 20-somethings are on the rise.
The government is trying to significantly reduce the number of suicides plaguing Korea’s highly competitive society.
Moonbin joined Fantagio’s trainee program as a child, before joining Astro. The group originally consisted of six artists, but one of them left in February 2023.
Astro’s fans – known as “Arohas” – mourn Moonbin’s passing. Known as a versatile performer, he was seen as the boy band’s most popular dancer.
Photos posted on social media show fans placing flowers and sticky notes at makeshift street memorials Wednesday night in South Korea. Fans also hung up purple and silver balloons, colors that featured prominently in the last singer performance in Thailand.
Moonbin was on the ‘Diffusion’ tour with Sanha, promoting the duo’s latest album, released in January. They were going to make a presentation in São Paulo in June.
Moonbin had told fans after the concert that she was having a difficult time, Korean broadcaster SBS reported on Thursday.
“I want to confess one thing, I actually feel pretty bad. There could have been a lot of signs that people have picked up on since the show started, so I apologize to you too.”
“I’m trying to get back on my feet slowly. I’ve chosen this job and I need to be happy in order to make the fans happy too,” he added in a live broadcast on social media.
The duo have scheduled a concert in Macau this Saturday, as well as Indonesia and Japan in May.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
