K-pop star Moon Bin found dead at home

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Moon Bin, singer of the South Korean band Astro, was found dead at his home in Seoul, his management agency said Thursday.

The 25-year-old was reportedly found by his manager who went to the singer’s home on Wednesday evening as he was not responding to contacts. Police are investigating his death, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, but have so far found no signs of foul play. Officials at Seoul’s Gangnam District Police Station did not respond to calls for comment.

Moon Bin’s management agency, Fantagio, confirmed his death in a statement, saying that he had “suddenly left us and become a star in the sky” and that fellow artists and company executives were “deeply saddened and shocked”. were mourning.

Fantagio said Moon Bin’s funeral would be held “as quietly as possible”, with attendance limited mostly to family, close friends and associates, based on the wishes of his relatives.

Moon Bin debuted in 2016 with the six-member boyband Astro, which was launched shortly after the singers appeared on a TV reality show. The group quickly found success in South Korea and Japan and was listed on Billboard’s Top 10 list of new K-pop groups that year, with the magazine praising them for their “bright, synthpop sound that has captured the imagination of K-pop groups around the world”. Pop lovers won over.”

Moon Bin also performed as a member of the duo Moonbin & Sanha, the other half being fellow Astros member Yoon San-ha. Indonesian event promoter Lumina Entertainment announced on Wednesday the cancellation of the duo’s performance in Jakarta due to “unforeseen circumstances beyond our control”.

A number of South Korean singers and actors have died by suicide in recent years, raising a barrage of spirits in the booming entertainment industry about stiff competition, an abusive online culture and a failure by management to address their stars’ mental health problems. Search is touched.

Last week, 26-year-old actress Jang Chae-yul was found dead in her home. His agency did not say what caused his sudden death.