South Korean singer Moonbin, a member of K-pop boy band Astro, has died at the age of 25, his music label Fantagio said yesterday.
“On April 19, Astro member Moon Bin unexpectedly left our world and became a star in the sky,” it said on Twitter.
It asked that people “refrain from speculative and malicious reports” so that his family can pay their respects and honour him in peace.
“Members of Astro and fellow artists and staff at Fantagio are deeply saddened and shocked as we mourn him,” the label added in a statement.
Moon Bin – who performed as Moonbin – was a child actor before making his debut as a member of Astro in 2016.
He was set to appear at a concert in the southern city of Busan next month as part of sub-unit Moonbin & Sanha.
Local media reported that the singer was found dead at his home in the Gangnam district of Seoul and that suicide was suspected.
Suicide is among the leading causes of death for young people in South Korea.
The country has the highest suicide rate among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) group of wealthy nations.
Following the news about the death of Moonbin, “all idols” trended on Twitter in Korea.
Moonbin’s death also became the most searched topic on China’s Twitter-like social media platform Weibo yesterday, with many saying that the news reminded them of the deaths of other young South Korean popstars in the past.
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