Earlier this week we learned the
tragic news that Kim Jong-hyun, the star of K-Pop band SHINee, had been found dead. On Monday, he was discovered and pronounced dead at the age of 27, due to a suspected
suicide attempt.
The police were called to his apartment after being contacted by his sister on December 18. She believed he may have committed suicide after receiving various text messages from him that she thought read as a "last goodbye"
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The Gangnam Police eventually released a statement detailing what happened that day:
"On December 18, 2017 at 4:42PM Jonghyun’s older sister reported to Police that her brother was about to commit suicide."
"We went to his residence in Chungdam and discovered that he had attempted to commit suicide."
"Emergency responders were with us at the time so we rushed him to the Konkuk University Hospital in a state of cardiac arrest."
Jong-hyun's band, SHINee, rose to prominence in 2008, seeing much success in Japan and South Korea. Given the moniker of the 'Princes of K-Pop', they released their fifth album earlier this year and have been touring in recent months. In fact, Jong-hyun was present at a number of shows as recently as two weeks ago, playing at SK Olympic Handball Stadium and Seoul Olympic Park.
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Many attributed the Jong-hyun's death to his
depression and insomnia, which he has recently admitted to suffering from. But now a final note has been released. In an Instagram post, a close friend and fellow singer, Nine9 - part of the group Dear Cloud - explained that she had been given instructions to make this note public if he "disappeared from the world".
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She explained that she knew about his struggles, and told his family for his well-being, as well as looking out for him herself. Despite her compassionate actions, she said that she "only ended up postponing time and could not block his last action". After her own heartbreaking tribute to him, she revealed the words he told her to share with the world in the advent of his death.
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He apparently struggled to live in the public eye, writing that he "was broken from the inside" and that "the life of fame was never meant for me". The note continued, adding that the "Depression that slowly ate away at me ended up swallowing me", an obstacle he couldn't overcome, writing that "I couldn't beat it".
While the original was written in Korean, but one fan translated the entire note for his english-speaking fans.
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He ended the note by writing:
"It's commendable that I was able to withstand up to this point"
"What more can I say. Just tell me I worked hard."
"That I did a good job. That I went through a lot."
"Even if you can't smile, please don't send me off in blame."
"You worked hard."
"You really went through a lot."
"Goodbye."
Our thoughts are with his friends and family in this difficult time.
