Fans reacted with shock and grief over the death of 25-year-old K-pop star Moon Bin, a member of the popular boy band Astro.
His music label, Fantagio, confirmed Moon Bin’s death Thursday, and said he has “suddenly left us and became a star in the sky.”
“All Astro members, Fantagio colleagues, executives, and employees who’ve been together for a long time are deeply mourning the deceased in such great sadness and shock,” the music label said, adding Moon Bin “always loved and thought of the fans more than anyone else.”
The star was found dead by her manager at her home in south Seoul around 8:10 p.m. According to an officer at Gangnam Police Station Wednesday night.
Gangnam Police told CNN on Thursday that authorities believe Moon Bin committed suicide. “No evidence of third-party negligence was found in this case,” police added.
Social media was filled with condolences as fans expressed their concern over the death of a celebrity, the latest that sheds light on the often intense pressure celebrities face in Korea’s highly competitive and stressful entertainment industry.
The hashtag #moonbin on Twitter was trending globally with over 2.6 million tweets, some posts written in English, Spanish, Indonesian, Tagalog, and Thai.
Meanwhile, social media videos showed fans in Chile setting up a memorial for the late star, lining a wall with white and purple balloons, the theme colors of Astro.
“You’re a star in the sky now and watching over the people you love. Hearts and thoughts go out to his loved ones and all AROHAs,” MTV Asia tweeted, referring to the name Astro’s fans call themselves.
“We lost a bright light, who was really contributing to the lives of his family and his friends and his fans and that bright light is gone,” said CedarBough Saeji, assistant professor of Korean and East Asian Studies at Pusan National University.