SHINee members, K-pop stars and fans gathered at Jonghyun’s funeral at Seoul Asan Hospital on Thursday morning to bid the late singer farewell.

Hundreds of fans from across the country watched as the casket of Jonghyun -- whose real name is Kim Jong-hyun -- was carried out. Onew, Key, Taemin and members of Super Junior were pallbearers, while Minho and Jonghyun’s sister walked ahead of the procession holding his photo. 

The private funeral started at around 8 a.m. It was attended by Jonghyun’s family as well as officials and artists of S.M. Entertainment, including Girls’ Generation, EXO, NCT, BoA, Red Velvet, f(x) and S.M. founder Lee Soo-man. Other famous figures at the funeral included BTS, Zico, IU, VIXX, Wanna One and Jonghyun’s former girlfriend and actress Shin Se-kyung.

Fans burst into tears as the hearse carrying the artist’s body rolled out of the funeral venue. One fan broke down, crumpling to her knees.

Jonghyun’s burial site was not revealed to the public, at the wish of the bereaved family. 

Following Jonghyun’s death, a female fan in Indonesia was reported to have attempted suicide Monday. She wrote on her Twitter account that Jonghyun’s death, coupled with her also losing her parents, was too much for her to bear. She regained consciousness Tuesday.

Jonghyun was found unconscious at a rented studio apartment in Seoul on Monday. He was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to a hospital. Investigators ruled the death a suicide.

The note he left behind showed he had suffered from severe depression. Shortly before his death, he sent text messages to his sister saying, “It’s been so hard,” and, “This is my last farewell.”

Born on April 8, 1990, Jonghyun debuted in 2008 as the main vocalist for SHINee. The singer had a barrage of hits with the boy band along with a successful solo career that kicked off in 2015.

He was beloved by fans from across the world for his powerful voice, dancing prowess and often underappreciated songwriting skills. He wrote several fan favorites including “Breath” by Lee Hi, which sings of a person saying that she wishes to console her loved one even if she may not fully comprehend his or her pain. 


By Yoon Min-sik and Hong Dam-young
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)(lotus@heraldcorp.com)