Singer Moonbin, Member Of The K-Pop Band ASTRO, Dead At 25
South Korean pop star Moonbin was found dead in his Seoul home on Wednesday.
The news was broken on social media by the South Korean entertainment company, Koreaboo. The statement translated to English read, “On April 19, ASTRO member Moon Bin suddenly left us and became a star in the sky. The label is deeply mourning the deceased in such great sadness and shock.”
The statement further read that while they were in deep sorrow, it cannot be compared to the grief of the pop star’s family, his ex-band members, other Fantagio artists, company executives, and employees, who are mourning in great sadness and shock.
The entertainment company further requested fans refrain from “speculative and malicious reports” and give the family time to process the news. They further requested that, respecting the wishes of the family, the funeral be a private affair with only family, friends, and colleagues in attendance.
The statement did not specify the time or cause of death. However, the local media, Yonhap News reported a statement released by the Seoul Gangnam Police.
The statement read, “It appears that Moonbin took his own life. We are currently discussing the possibility of an autopsy to determine the precise cause of death.”
According to the news channel, his manager found the star dead in his Gangnam-gu home at around 8:10 p.m., when he came to check on the pop star as he was absent for a rehearsal. The manager then contacted the Seoul Gangnam Police Station and reported the finding.
Moonbin was a child actor and model and later joined Fantagio’s trainee program. He debuted in the band Astro, a 6 member band, in February 2016 and also performed in the subgroup called Moonbin & Sanha.
Astro rose to fame with their debut EP, Spring Up, and was named in Billboard’s top 10 list of new K-pop groups in the year of their debut. Their hits included Blue Fame, All Night, Candy Sugar Pop, and Breathless, to name a few.
For his subgroup, Moonbin collaborated with fellow Astro band member Yoon San-ha. The duo released three EPs, and all of them made it to the top 10 on the South Korean charts.
They were scheduled to perform a tour in Jakarta; however, on early Wednesday LUMINA Entertainment announced that the event was canceled.
Their statement read, “After long discussion and consideration, we have to cancel this event due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control that we could not avoid.”
Moonbin is survived by his parents and his younger sister, Moon Sua, who is a part of the K-pop girl band Billie.
Moonbin’s death was a shock to fans, who remembered the star for his good and happy-go-lucky nature.
However, Moonbin’s death has also prompted people to notice the high suicide rate in the K-pop industry. Many other stars, including Kim Jonghyun, Goo Hara, Minwoo, and Jonghyun, were confirmed or suspected to have died by suicide.
Suicide has been found to be one of the top causes of death for people under 40 in South Korea.
