Jonghyun's Suicide Note Reveals Pressure From K-Pop Spotlight

December 19, 2017

Further details surrounding the death of Korean pop star Kim Jong-hyun (better known as frontman Jonghyun of SHINee) were released on Tuesday (December 19) and a farewell suicide note reveals that the lead singer may have been suffering from depression due to the pressure of being a celebrity in South Korea.  

In the suicide note, which was uploaded onto the Instagram account of Nine, a member of Dear Cloud, the singer explained that he was severely suffering from some internal pain. "I am broken from inside," Kim reportedly wrote. "The depression that had been slowly eating me up finally devoured me and I couldn’t defeat it." As per Nine's management, the note was sent to her two weeks before Kim's death and posted after approval with Jonghyun's family.

Elsewhere in the note, the singer admitted he "was broken from the inside" and "the life of fame was never meant for [him]." "What else can I say more. Just tell me I've done well. That this is enough. That I've worked hard. Even if you can't smile don't fault me on my way," he continued.

According to BBC's Korean Service, Jonghyun, who helped form SHINee in 2008, was taken to a hospital after being found unconscious at an apartment in Seoul on Monday. At just 27-year-old, he was found unconscious at a private hotel in Seoul and died in the hospital. 

Photo: Getty Images

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