The entertainment industry is engulfed in sadness due to a series of unfortunate news. Following the sudden death of actress Kim Sae-ron in February, it has now been reported that singer Wheesung (real name Choi Wheesung) has also passed away.
On the 10th, Wheesung's agency, Taz Entertainment, announced, "Our artist Wheesung has left us. He was found in a state of cardiac arrest at his home in Seoul and was pronounced dead." He was 43 years old.
The agency stated, "All of us at Taz Entertainment, including the bereaved family and fellow artists, are mourning the sudden loss," and added, "Details regarding the funeral will be provided separately."
The police have reported that there are currently no signs of external intrusion or criminal suspicion, and they plan to request an autopsy from the National Forensic Service along with forensic analysis of his mobile phone to determine the exact cause of death. It has been reported that funeral arrangements will be postponed until the cause of Wheesung's death is clarified.
Born in February 1982, Wheesung debuted in 2002 with his first album "Like A Movie," releasing hit songs such as "Is It Not Possible," "Incurable Disease," "I Even Thought About Marriage," and "A Heart-Wrenching Story," enjoying top-tier popularity as the prince of R&B. He continued to be active in music, collaborating with junior artists and producers until recently.
However, in 2020, he collapsed after taking a sleep anesthetic and was investigated by the police. He was indicted for purchasing and habitually using propofol 12 times over three months starting from September 2019.
He was subsequently sentenced to one year in prison, with a two-year probation, and the court ordered him to complete 40 hours of community service, 40 hours of drug treatment lectures, and pay a fine of 60.5 million won. After halting his activities, Wheesung resumed them with a Christmas concert in 2021.
Wheesung was scheduled to hold a joint ballad concert with singer KCM at the Daegu EXCO Auditorium on the 15th. He had expressed his anticipation for the concert on social media, saying, "See you on the 15th," but ultimately, the concert was canceled.
Earlier, on February 16, actress Kim Sae-ron was found dead at her home. It is reported that a friend who had an appointment to meet her discovered her and called the police.
The police stated, "There are no signs of external intrusion or criminal suspicion, and no suicide note was found," concluding the case as a simple death. Kim Sae-ron was known to have faced financial difficulties due to a drunk driving incident during her lifetime.
Kim Sae-ron debuted as a model for a children's magazine in 2001 and gained recognition for her performance in the 2010 film "The Man from Nowhere." She later appeared in films such as "The Neighbors" and dramas like "Witch's Diary," "Love Playlist Season 4," and "The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim."
In May 2022, Kim Sae-ron was involved in a drunk driving accident in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, where she hit guardrails, trees, and a transformer more than three times. At the time, her blood alcohol level was reported to be 0.2%, well above the license suspension level (0.08%). She was charged with violating the Road Traffic Act and was fined 20 million won. As a result of this incident, she withdrew from the SBS drama "Trolley" and was edited out of the Netflix drama "Hunting Dogs."
At the time of the incident, Kim Sae-ron was signed under Gold Medalist, but she terminated her contract in December 2022. Since then, she has not signed an exclusive contract with any other agency. Gold Medalist became her last agency.
Kim Sae-ron had completed filming for the movie "Guitar Man" last year and was awaiting its release.
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