K-pop star Jonghyun commits suicide

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The lead singer of South Korea’s popular boy band SHINee, Kim Jong-hyun died on Monday after being taken to hospital unconscious. Police said it was an apparent suicide, reported by South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The 27-year-old pop star, better known by his stage name Jonghyun, was found at 6:10 p.m. local time in a rented apartment studio in Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul, after his sister called for emergency responders at 4:42 p.m..

“His sister was first to call the police assuming that he might commit suicide,” a police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive subject, told Reuters.

Kim's sister told the police that she received several distressing messages from her brother before his death. The messages read "This is my last farewell," "Things have been so difficult," "Please let me go," prompting his sister to make an emergency call to the police.

Lying in a room with a coal briquette burning on a frying pan, the singer seems to have chosen one of the most common methods of suicide in South Korea.

Members of South Korean K-Pop band SHINee pose on the red carpet during 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) in Hong Kong, China December 2, 2015. /Reuters Photo

Kim spent nearly a decade in his leading role as one of five members of SHINee, as well as a solo artist. His last public appearance was at a solo concert titled “Inspired” on December 9-10 in Seoul.

'Depression swallowed me'

Depression could be the main cause leading to the singer's suicide, according to a note left by Jonghyun.

"Depression gnawed me little by little and eventually swallowed me," he wrote. "I can't defeat it."

"I detested myself. Unchained memories caught me. No matter how I said to myself to cheer up, I can't find the answer."

"I'm alone and lonely. It is easy to say the end. But it is hard to actually end. I've been living in such difficulties... Yes, I want to escape."

"If you ask me why I died, I'd say because I'm tired."

The singer used to see psychologist for help but this ended in vein. "When blaming my introverted personality in a gentle voice, the doctor was being simple. When the pain is so severe, why treat it as something unbelievable?"

"No person is living harder than me and weaker than me."

Devastating fans

The news triggered an outpouring of mourning from devastated friends and fans alike.

Screenshot via Twitter

Chinese star Lu Han wrote in Weibo, a Twitter-like service in China, "I cannot believe it. RIP, the best lead singer." Another star Huang Zitao posted a black photo on Instagram with captions in Korean.

He wrote, "Couldn't sleep. [When I] first arrived at South Korea, it was the same cold weather. [I] remembered hearing the song 'hot times' the first time I went to the TV station. [It] gave me really good memories. Because of this stage and this song, [I] longed eagerly to be on the stage as soon as possible."

Screenshots via Weibo

Both Lu and Huang were entertainers at Jonghyun's agent company SM Entertainment.