On Tuesday,
June 20, South Korean pop icon Choi Sung-Bong was discovered dead in his Seoul
home. He was 33. Police
believe that the singer committed an apparent suicide before passing away,
according to South Korean news sources. Sung-bong
was discovered by police at his home in Seoul’s Yeoksam-dong neighbourhood at
9.41am on Tuesday, according to The Korea Times.
The news of
his passing comes just two years after he was exposed for fabricating a cancer
diagnosis while pleading with his followers for financial support.
after shocking both his fans and the Korean entertainment industry by admitting
to lying about having cancer, he apologized for the fraud.
The singer
first gained notoriety in 2011 when, at the age of 22, he participated in the
television talent competition Korea’s Got Talent.
who recently signed a record deal with Bong Bong Company, placed second in the
competition with his performance of Nella Fantasia by Italian composer Ennio
Morricone. He
performed so powerfully and with such emotion that he moved the judges to
tears. A video of
his performance went viral, garnering millions of views on YouTube and praise
from celebrities like Justin Bieber and BoA. He posted
an apology for his “foolish mistakes” on his YouTube channel one day
before he passed away.
He wrote:
“Hello, this is Choi Sung-bong,” according to a translation of the
note that was posted on the South Korean entertainment website allkpop.com. For
the last time in my life, I’m writing to my fans to send them a letter. I
sincerely apologize to anyone who has been harmed by my stupidity. I apologize.
I paid back all of the donations that I received over the previous two years. I
apologize to everyone who has supported me.
The singer
revealed during his Korea’s Got Talent audition that he was abandoned at the
age of three but managed to escape after being beaten up when he was five. He
continued by saying that he had become homeless after that and that the only
thing that had made him happy during his trying time was music.