CELEBRITIES
K-pop singer Moonbin of the group Astro has passed away at the age of 25
The 25-year-old singer was found dead in his home on Wednesday.
Astro member Moonbin has passed away at the age of 25. The singer was found dead in his home by his manager on Wednesday, April 19, sometime after 8:00 p.m. KST.
Moonbin debuted as a member of Astro in 2016, along with Jinjin, MJ, Cha Eun-woo, Sanha, and Rocky. He recently performed a fan concert in the Philippines as a member of the Astro subunit, Moonbin & Sanha.
The cause of death has not been officially confirmed.
Warning: mention of possible suicide.
Fantagio issues a statement
Astro’s management company, Fantagio, has confirmed the news. Seoul police initially released the reports, saying they believed the cause of death was suicide and that they were “considering conducting an autopsy while investigating the cause of death”.
Fantagio released the following statement:
“First, we apologize for having to convey this sorrowful and heartbreaking news,” the statement began.
“On April 19, Astro member Moonbin suddenly left us and has now become a star in the sky. Although it cannot compare to the grief of the bereaved family that had to part with their beloved son and brother, his fellow artists and the staff here at Fantagio, who have been together with him for a long time, are also deeply mourning the departed amidst tremendous shock and sorrow.”
The statement went on to implore fans and the media to “please refrain from speculative or malicious reports.” A private funeral will be held for Moonbin, with friends, family, and agency colleagues in attendance.
Moonbin’s life and career
Moonbin was born in Cheongju, South Korea on January 26, 1998. He has a younger sister, Moon Sua, who is a member of the K-pop girl group Billie.
Moonbin began his career as a child model in 2004, and later appeared in the K-drama ‘Boys Over Flowers’. He joined Fantagio as a trainee while in fifth grade.
In 2016, he debuted as a member of the group Astro, who released their first EP ‘Spring Up’ on February 23, 2016.
The group released their first full-length album ‘All Light’ in January 2019, but by November, Moonbin had announced he was going on hiatus due to health reasons.
Four months later, the singer returned, and was also set to appear in the web-drama ‘The Mermaid Prince’.
In 2020, he and fellow Astro member Yoon San-ha debuted the Astro subunit Moonbin & Sanha releasing the EP ‘In-Out’. During this time, he was also nominated for the APAN Music Awards Entertainer of the Year–Male award.
Astro then went on to release two albums, ‘All Yours’ in 2021, and ‘Drive to the Starry Road’ in 2022. In December 2022, Moonbin, Jinjin, Cha Eun-wo and Sanha confirmed they had renewed their contracts. At the 2022 Seoul Webfest Film Festival he was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor in ‘Find Me If You Can’.