ASTRO member MoonBin shared a series of heartwarming pictures on social media of him and his bandmate smiling and joking nearly a month before his tragic death at 25.
MoonBin was reportedly found dead in his home in the Gangnam-gu district of Seoul on Wednesday evening, according to South Korean media outlets.
Nearly a month before his death, MoonBin shared a series of photos of himself and his fellow ASTRO member Yoon San-ha backstage before they hit the stage in Seoul to kick-start their tour.
In one photo, MoonBin and San-ha were seen embracing before they began their set, while in another, they posed for a picture.
MoonBin captioned the post: "2023.3.18~19 ????⛰️????," alluding to what is believed to be the start date of their DIFFUSION fan meeting tour.
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ASTRO's record label Fantagio Music released a statement on Instagram, confirming MoonBin's death: "On April 19th, Astro member Moonbin suddenly left us and became a star in the sky.
"Although it cannot be compared to the grief of the bereaved families who lost their beloved sons and brothers, the Astro members who have been with us for a long time, as well as our Fantagio fellow artists and executives, are deeply mourning the deceased in great sadness and shock.
"My heart hurts even more to deliver this sudden news to the fans who have supported Moonbin and sent generous love."
"I am more heartbroken because I know the heart of the deceased who always loved and thought of his fans more than anyone else."
A cause of death was not immediately made available.
MoonBin & San-ha were scheduled to visit Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 23 as part of their DIFFUSION tour, however, the event has since been canceled.
The announcement by LUMINA Entertainment on Wednesday read: "After long discussion and consideration, we have to cancel this event due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control that we could not avoid."
MoobBin's first known appearance in a music video came in 2006 when he appeared in TVXQ's video for their song Balloons.
A child model before he became a pop culture phenomenon in South Korea, MoonBin was a trainee of Fantagio since he was in the fifth grade.
MoonBin and the other members of ASTRO made their first appearance together in the South Korean TV drama To Be Continued in 2015.
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A year later, the boy band debuted in the music scene in February 2016 with six members with the release of their five-song album Spring Up, which included the hit single Hide & Seek.
That same year they were named one of the best new K-pop acts by Billboard.
ASTRO released their latest album, Drive To The Starry Road, last May.
Member ROCKY departed the K-pop group earlier this year, with Fantagio Music explaining that the band would “continue as a five-member group in the future.”
Moonbin was the older brother of Moon Sua, a member of the K-pop girl group Billlie.
