Funeral Held for Late K-pop Star Kim Jong-hyun

The funeral for the late Kim Jong-hyun, lead singer of K-pop group SHINee, was held Thursday, attended by his family, close friends and fellow artists. (Image: Yonhap)

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — The funeral for the late Kim Jong-hyun, lead singer of K-pop group SHINee, was held Thursday, attended by his family, close friends and fellow artists.

Kim, better known as his stage name Jonghyun, died Monday in an apparent suicide. The 27-year-old singer left a suicide note describing his harrowing battle with depression.

A private Christian funeral service was held for Kim at Asan Medical Center in eastern Seoul at 8 a.m., attended by his family and S.M. Entertainment colleagues, including fellow SHINee members.

Fellow K-pop artists Leeteuk, Eunhyuk and Donghae of Super Junior and SHINee members appeared mournful and grief-stricken as Kim’s casket was carried out. Kim was later moved to an undisclosed location where he was to be laid to rest.

The news of Kim’s death came as a shock to his acquaintances and fans, especially given the fact that he’s been active in the public spotlight recently. (Image: Yonhap)

Hundreds of tearful fans in Seoul also gathered around the hospital to say goodbye to the late star.

Many big-name K-pop stars, including S.M. Entertainment founder and senior producer Lee Soo-man, members of Girls’ Generation, BTS, Wanna One, CNBLUE and Epik High, paid their respects to Kim during the three-day mourning period.

Kim was picked up as a trainee at S.M. Entertainment in 2005 and debuted in May 2008 as the main singer of SHINee. He thrived in the music business for nearly a decade, not just in group activities but as a celebrated solo singer-songwriter.

The news of Kim’s death came as a shock to his acquaintances and fans, especially given the fact that he’s been active in the public spotlight recently. Kim’s last public appearance was at his solo concert, titled “Inspired,” from Dec. 9-10 in Seoul.

(Yonhap)