Moonbin, a member of the South Korean pop group Astro and its sub-unit Moonbin & Sanha, has died, according to police. He was 25.
Authorities told Korean news outlet Yonhap News that the singer, whose real name was Moon Bin, was found dead in his home in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at around 8:10 p.m. local time Wednesday.
He is believed to have died by suicide, but the official cause of death is pending.
Moonbin’s record label, Fantagio, released a statement on Twitter Wednesday confirming his death.
“First of all, I apologize for the sad and heartbreaking news,” the post, loosely translated, began.
“On April 19, Astro member Moonbin suddenly left us and became a star in the sky.”
The statement noted that Moonbin’s relatives and all of those who worked with him, including bandmates Cha Eun-woo, Rocky, Yoon San-ha, MJ and Jinjin, were “deeply mourning the deceased in great sadness and shock.”
The team asked fans to “refrain from speculative and malicious reports so that that the bereaved families, who are deeply saddened by the sudden sad news, can reverently commemorate and greet the deceased.”
Moonbin’s funeral will be held “as quietly as possible” with only family members, friends and colleagues attending, the statement also said.
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Meanwhile, fans flooded the “Candy Sugar Pop” singer’s Instagram to honor him.
One heartbroken follower wrote, “You changed my life 😭😭😭😭😭 You made me sooooo happy, Bin 😭😭😭😭😭 Thank you for everything 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I’ll love you forever 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Rest in peace, my love.”
Another added, “He always had such a big smile on his face which could automatically make a people smile too but now that’s happiness is gone making everyone sad and loss of smile.”
A third, pointing out the string of suicides that have plagued the K-pop community in recent years, commented, “As an old Kpoper I hate kpop anymore.. I feel that those bad days we had in the past have been repeated again… R.I.P. #Moonbin.”
In December 2017, Kim Jonghyun, the former lead singer of top South Korean pop group SHINee, was found dead at his apartment in Seoul. A suicide note left by the 27-year-old revealed he was battling depression.
Then, less than two years later in November 2019, K-pop star Goo Hara was found dead in an apparent suicide. She was 28.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
