Ok-pop star Moonbin, a member of the boy band Astro, has died, his music label and South Korean police stated Thursday, prompting an outpouring of grief from followers.
The 25-year-old singer was discovered useless at his dwelling in southern Seoul late Wednesday, a spokesperson for the National Police Agency informed AFP, including that there was no proof of foul play.
Moonbin’s label Fantagio Music additionally launched an announcement on Thursday confirming his loss of life however with out disclosing the trigger.
“On April 19, Astro member Moon Bin unexpectedly left our world and became a star in the sky,” it stated on Twitter.
It requested that folks “refrain from speculative and malicious reports” in order that his household pays their respects and honor him in peace.
The label’s announcement prompted hundreds of feedback from grieving followers, many expressing disbelief.
“Rest in peace, Moonbin. I hope the stars and the moon treat you well. I hope they give you all the comfort and love,” one wrote on Twitter.
“I can’t focus on work now. This really hurts,” wrote one other.
Moon Bin — who carried out as Moonbin — was a member of the group Astro and likewise carried out with a sub-group referred to as Moonbin & Sanha.
He joined Fantagio’s trainee program at an early age and was an actor and little one mannequin earlier than debuting with Astro in February 2016.
Prior to his passing, Moonbin & Sanha had been set to carry out on the upcoming Dream Concert — one of many largest Ok-pop joint live shows in South Korea — in May.
The group had additionally been in the course of their Diffusion Fan Con Tour throughout Asia, and had launched an official fan group web page on Weverse — the worldwide fandom platform from Ok-pop megastars BTS’s company HYBE — on Sunday.
“While no passing from any artist is ever to be expected, Moonbin’s untimely passing was all the more shocking given how active the young star was, even the week of his death,” Jeff Benjamin, Billboard’s Ok-pop columnist, informed AFP.
“No one around him saw this coming, but what we can keep is his undeniable smile,” he added. “I’ve seen its brightness compared to the Cheshire Cat from ‘Alice and Wonderland’, and the wonderful music and performances he gave us.”
Beneath the glitz and glamour, the Ok-pop trade can also be identified for its cut-throat competitors, an absence of privateness, on-line bullying and relentless public strain to take care of a healthful picture always and at any value.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, citing an unnamed police official, reported that authorities consider Moon’s loss of life is a case of obvious suicide.
Several different younger Ok-pop stars have died of suspected suicides in recent times, together with Goo Hara who handed in 2019. She had been abused by an ex-boyfriend who, after they break up, blackmailed her over their intercourse movies.
The suspected suicide occurred a month after her shut good friend, Ok-pop star Sulli, took her personal life after a protracted wrestle with on-line bullying, prompting calls for in South Korea for stronger punishments for cybercrimes.
Sulli’s loss of life echoed that of fellow Ok-pop star Jonghyun, who took his life in 2017 after battling despair.
“It’s always the people who smile the most who suffer the greatest,” one among Moon’s followers wrote. “When the sky shines beautifully we’ll think of you and when the stars shine bright we will think of you.”
© 2023 AFP