K-pop fans are in mourning. South Korean star Moonbin, a member of the band Astro, died Wednesday at the age of 25, according to his label Fantagio.
“Astro member Moonbin left our world unexpectedly on April 19, becoming a star in the sky,” Fantagio label wrote on its official Twitter account in Korean. He did not provide any presumed cause of death. The statement further asks everyone to “refrain from speculative and malicious reporting” so that his family can pay their respects and honor him in peace.
Debut with Astro in 2016
Singer Moon Bin, his real name, was also part of the group Moonbin & Sanha. He joined the Fantagio label’s trainee program at an early age and debuted with Astro in February 2016, which then had six members. Moon Bin’s sister, Moon Sua, is also a K-pop singer, member of a girl group called Billlie.
Several other young K-pop stars have died in recent years, including two suspected suicides in a month in 2019. The two women, who were close friends, had been targets of harassment on social media.