North Korean song Wheesung was found dead on Monday at his apartment in Seoul. He was 43.
The song was found in a position of a cardiac arrest, officials said, adding that a” significant amount of time” had passed before his figure had been discovered.
They noted that there were no evidence of foul play at the field.
Wheesung, whose real name is Choi Whee-sung, debuted in 2002 and immediately made a name for himself with his heartfelt lyrics. He was tremendously famous in the 2000s and has been credited with popularising R&, B in South Korea.
Over the years Wheesung established himself as a leader and outspoken manager to K-pop superstars, yet writing music for some of them. He collaborated with many designers and even performed in K-pop music across the world, including in Hollywood.
He was scheduled to hold a concert with song song KCM this weekend in the town of Daegu.
His R&, B songs won praise from former Asian artists like Shin Seung-hun and Seo Tae-ji.
But Wheesung was also no stranger to controversy.
In 2021, he was handed a two-year held sentence for abusing ketamine, a powerful sedative which likewise caused the death of Michael Jackson.
Within weeks in March and April 2020, Wheesung was found incapacitated on two events, along with needles and syringes containing etomidate, a sleep-inducing substance similar to lidocaine.
Fellow musicians shared homage to Wheesung after reports of his dying broke.
” Wheesung, this speak and create music openly in that area. I didn’t miss your true and obvious spirit”, song Yoon Min-soo wrote in a social media post accompanied by a picture of him and Wheesung performing a song.
” Come meet again tomorrow and sing up”, Yoon wrote.
Rapper Verbal Jint shared posted a black circle on Instagram, accompanied with the message:” Every time we shared was an honor, and I’m glad. You’ve worked so hard, rest in peace, Wheesung”.