Kim Jong-hyun, lead singer of the popular K-pop boy band SHINee, died by suicide earlier this week. The 27-year-old, known simply as Jonghyun, was reportedly found unconscious at an apartment in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday evening, shortly after his sister called emergency responders to report that she feared her brother was having suicidal ideations.
On Thursday, the singer was laid to rest in a private funeral in Seoul. Kim So-dam, Jonghyun's sister, carried a framed picture of the late K-pop star and tearfully led a procession outside the Asan Medical Centre, the hospital where his body was held. Jonghyun’s SHINee bandmates, Onew, Key, Taemin, and Minho, along with members of Super Junior, another K-pop boy band, carried his coffin to a hearse, according to the BBC, where his body was transported to a private funeral. Hundreds of grief-stricken fans gathered outside the hospital to pay their final respects.
The singer released a debut album with SHINee in 2008 and a debut solo album, She Is, in 2016, and published a book called Skeleton Flower about his songs's backstories. The band was extremely popular both in South Korea and in Japan. On Wednesday, hundreds of SHINee fans gathered at Hong Lim Park in Singapore to hold a memorial for the beloved singer, and that night, some fans posted pictures on social media, claiming the moon glowed a strange blue-green color over South Korea. (Each K-pop group has a signature color that fans wave at their concerts in support — SHINee's was pearl aqua green.)
See photos of the K-pop band members serving as pallbearers and the altar at Jonghyun's private funeral, below.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255 or text Crisis Text Line at 741-741.
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