Moonbin, a member of the K-pop group ASTRO, has died at the age of 25.
As reported by Yonhap News, Moonbin was found dead by his manager at his home in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the evening of Wednesday, April 19th. Police are still investigating the case, and an official cause of death is currently unknown.
ASTRO’s label Fantagio shared a statement saying Moonbin has “left us and became a star in the sky,” while adding that the company is “deeply mourning” the loss alongside his family, members of ASTRO, fellow artists, and fans. There will be a private funeral in accordance with the family’s wishes.
Moonbin joined ASTRO in 2016 alongside MJ, Jinjin, Rocky, Cha Eun-woo, and Yoon San-ha. Aside from a brief hiatus in 2019 for health-related reasons, he was an active member of the group until his death. In January 2023, he officially renewed his Fantagio contract with all the members of ASTRO except for Rocky.
In 2020, he formed ASTRO’s first sub-unit, called Moonbin & Sanha, with Yoon San-ha. After dropping their first EP, In-Out, that same year, they followed up with 2022’s Refuge. More recently, they made a comeback in January with their third EP, Incense, and were set to go on their first tour.
Outside of music, Moonbin had a small role in the 2009 K-drama Boys over Flowers and later appeared in another TV series called At Eighteen.