K-pop star Moonbin, a member of the group ASTRO, has died.
The singer/actor was reportedly found dead at his home in Seoul, South Korea Wednesday. He was 25.
Moonbin’s sudden death was confirmed by his group’s label, the Fantagio Group, on social media.
“On April 19, ASTRO member Moonbin suddenly left us and became a star in the sky,” the statement said, adding that Moonbin’s group mates and family are “deeply mourning the deceased in such great sadness and shock…The heart of the deceased was always loved and thought of the fans more than anyone else.”
The cause of death has not been determined, pending an autopsy.
The star was found dead in his home in southern Seoul by his manager at around 8:10 p.m. Wednesday night, an official at Gangnam Police Station told CNN. Gangnam police told the outlet authorities believe Moonbin died by suicide and “no signs of foul play have been found.”
The artist’s family and Fantagio Group asked in their statement to “refrain from speculative and malicious reports.”
ASTRO is acclaimed in the K-pop genre, having been named one of the best new K-pop acts by Billboard in 2016, the same year the group released its debut EP, “Spring Up.”
Their most recent studio album, “Drive to the Starry Road,” was released in 2022. Songs including “Breathless,” “After Midnight” and “One” have charted on Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart.
Moonbin’s acting career included roles in the South Korean TV series, “At Eighteen” and the lead role in the web-drama, “The Mermaid Prince.”
He was also a member of the offshoot duo Moonbin & Sanha with group mate Yoon San-ha. The sub-unit released three EPs since 2000 and most recently hit the Korean charts with “Madness,” from their “Incense” release.
Other members of ASTRO are MJ, JinJin, Cha Eun-woo and San-ha. Earlier this year, member Rocky left the group.
Several South Korean singers and actors have died by suicide in recent years, which has touched off soul-searching about harsh competition in the fast-growing entertainment industry, an abusive online culture and failure by management to address the mental health problems of their stars.
