GettyA member of one of the biggest bands in South Korea has died suddenly.
Kim Jong-hyun was one of five members of superstar K-Pop band SHINee, who have had a handful of number one hits in South Korea.
According to The Korean Herald, the 28-year-old was taken to hospital after being found unconscious in an apartment in Seoul.
GettyKim’s death is currently being investigated as a suicide.
Reports suggest police first attended the apartment as a result of a phone call from Jonghyun’s sister at 4.42PM. She allegedly thought Jonghyun had committed suicide as a result of a number of text messages which acted as a ‘last goodbye’.
He arrived at the hospital after being found at 6.10pm Korea time on 18 December.
if i just could turn back time, i would be grateful to see jonghyun's bright smiles again. pic.twitter.com/XM56foP43u
— lianna; jonghyun (@taellegirl) December 18, 2017
A statement from Gangnam Police read:
On December 18, 2017 at 4:42PM Jonghyun’s older sister reported to Police that her brother was about to commit suicide.
We went to his residence in Chungdam and discovered that he had attempted to commit suicide.
Emergency responders were with us at the time so we rushed him to the Konkuk University Hospital in a state of cardiac arrest.
jonghyun was so kind, warm and special. he deserved better. this is a reminder to all of us that idols are real people who suffer with real problems. stop dismissing mental health, be polite, always reach out help if you can. the first step is acknowledging the illness itself.
— t○○ba #ThisChristmas (@drunktaeyeon) December 18, 2017
Jong-hyun’s band ShINee rose to prominence in 2008 in South Korea, and also saw success in Japan.
Earlier this year, SHINee released their fifth Japanese album Five, and toured extensively with the album in Japan.
The band have been named as the Princes of K-Pop due to their intricate dance routines and strong live vocal performances.
Yesterday, a trailer was released for his appearance on JTBC reality show Night Goblin, which is set to air on Christmas Eve.
At the end of last night’s edition, a teaser was shown for next week’s episode in which Jonghyun and the Goblins complete missions and try to make the dreams of fans come true.
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