K-pop music band member dead of apparent suicide

A young musician, actor, and model from South Korea has died of an apparent suicide, reports claim.

On Thursday, South Korean entertainment agency Fantagio announced that Moonbin, one of the six original members of the Korean pop band ASTRO, had passed away. "On April 19, ASTRO member Moonbin suddenly left us to become a star in the sky," the announcement, translated into English, read in part. Moonbin was just 25 years old.

"We are heartbroken," Fantagio continued, "because we know the feelings of the deceased, who always loved and thought of his fans more than anyone else."

ASTRO, which arrived on the international music scene in 2015, is best known for hits like "Candy Sugar Pop" and "Blue Flame." Billboard even listed ASTRO as one of the top ten new K-pop bands of 2016.

However, Moonbin, whose real name was Moon Bin, began to experience personal challenges soon after ASTRO developed a global following, and he stepped away from the group in 2019, citing health-related concerns. He returned to the band a year later and had even formed his own subgroup with fellow bandmate, Yoon San-ha, called Moonbin & Sanha.

Recently, friends and family began to suspect something was wrong when Moonbin failed to show up for some rehearsals. His manager then went to check on him and discovered him dead in his apartment in Seoul. A translation of a statement from Seoul Gangnam Police regarding Moonbin's death stated: "It appears that Moonbin took his own life. We are currently discussing the possibility of an autopsy to determine the precise cause of death."

A private funeral for Moonbin will be held in accordance with the wishes of his loved ones. Though little is known about his family, Moonbin is survived by at least one close relative. His sister, Moon Sua, is a member of the K-pop girl band Billie.

A representative for Moonbin & Sanha has since announced that the subgroup's tour, scheduled for next month, has been canceled "due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control that we could not avoid."

Two other ASTRO members have also recently left the group, though under less tragic circumstances. Last May, Rocky announced that he would be leaving to pursue other interests, and like all able-bodied South Korean men, MJ must now perform military service, as mandated by law. With three members gone in quick succession, it is unclear whether the remaining members of ASTRO plan to continue making music together.

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