Moonbin, a member of the Korean k-pop band Astro and half of the musical duo Moonbin & Sanha, has passed away. He was 25.
Police in South Korea said the singer’s body was discovered by the band’s manager on Wednesday night at his home in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu district. The Korea Times reported. Police said they are still investigating the cause of death, but believe Moonbin died by suicide.
Astro’s record label Fantagio Music confirmed Moonbin’s death in a statement posted on social media. “Astro’s Moonbin has suddenly left us to become a star in the sky,” Fantagio said in the statement. “All other Astro members, his fellow artists and Fantagio collaborators deeply mourn him with great sadness and shock.”
Moonbin was born as Moon Bin in 1998 in the provincial town of Cheongju, South Korea. He entered the entertainment industry at a young age, first as a child model and then as a singer. His younger sister Moon Sua would later become a member of k-pop girl group Billlie.
Signed by Fantagio’s talent arm in his teens, Moonbin would join the group Astro, with the six-piece act making their debut in February 2016, shortly after appearing on the MBC Music reality TV show. Astro OK! Finished.
In their first year, the band released three seasonal EPs, including the debut Jump up, Summer Mood And Autumn story. After achieving some success at home and in Japan aided by further appearances in the web series and reality shows, Astro released a number of mini albums until they released their first full-length studio album, All lightJanuary 2019.
In November 2019, Moonbin stepped back from Astro, with Fantagio revealing that the singer has been struggling with health issues. He was scheduled to return in early 2020 and would be featured on the band’s 2021 album All yours and the 2022 release Drive to Star Road.
Moonbin and fellow Astro member Sanha would go on to form the duo Moonbin & Sanha together, releasing three EPs starting with In out in 2020, which was followed by Refuge (2022) and Incense which was released in January.
Outside of music, Moonbin, like other k-pop stars, made regular appearances on reality TV and competition shows. He co-hosted the MBC series Show champion and appeared in Saturday Night Live Korea. As an actor, he appeared in a number of web dramas and played major roles in the television series Boys over flowers (2009) and Moment of Eighteen (2019).
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
