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ASTRO’s main dancer and vocalist, Moonbin, passed away last night on April 19. According to news reports, the singer was all by himself at his residence in Gangnam and reportedly died by suicide.
As legions of fans from across the world mourn his untimely demise, fans take a look at his 14-year-old long entertainment career in showbiz. For those unversed, Moonbin began his journey as a child actor with the hit 2009 K-drama, Boys Over Flowers, starring Lee Min-ho, Kim Bum, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Joon, and Gu Hye-sun amongst others. He was 11 years old at the time.
ASTRO’s Moonbin played the younger version of Kim Bum’s character, So Yi-jung, in the series. From there on, the talented singer-actor made his debut with Fantagio’s six-member boy group ASTRO and participated in several dramas and TV shows.
"Shining star": Fans reminisce Moonbin's K-drama acting debut in Boys Over Flowers
Moonbin made his K-drama acting debut with the Lee Min-ho-starrer Boys Over Flowers. Adapted from the Japanese manga series Hana Yori Dango (Boys Over Flowers) by Yoko Kamio, the Cinderella-esque story revolves around the four popular boys of Shinhwa High School - Leader Gu Jun-Pyo (Lee Min-ho), Yoon Ji-hu (Kim Hyun-joong), So Yi-jung (Kim Bum), and Song Woo-bin (Kim Bum) also known as the famous F4.
The movie is about how one girl named Geum Jan-di (Gu Hye-sun) forces them to change themselves for the good.
Moonbin played the younger version of Kim Bum’s character - So Yi-jung. The latter plays the role of an effortless charmer who can impress any woman he desires and is a relentless flirt as well. A skilled potter and one-fourth of F4, he owns the country's biggest art museum.
However, as a child, he was quiet, shy, and introverted, and was hopelessly in love with a girl he knew. But when he lost his first love to his brother, he became a womanizer.
While Kim Bum played the role of a charismatic playboy with ease, Moonbin sank his teeth into the role of the unsociable and reticent So Yi-jung who is heartbroken.
In the wake of his unfortunate demise, fans have paid tribute to him and brought back some clips of his incredible performance in Boys Over Flowers.
Besides him, iKON’s Chanwoo played the role of a younger Gu Jun-pyo in the series who, like the ASTRO singer, went on to debut as an idol as well.
The ASTRO singer pursued acting as an adult as well with school-themed dramas like Moments of Eighteen where he played the role of Jung Oh-je, a closeted gay character who hides his pain and sorrow from his fellow classmates. He also starred in The Mermaid Prince.
Notably, non-ASTRO fans extended their deepest condolences to ASTRO fans as the internet collectively grieved the singer’s unfortunate death.
Notably, Moonbin made several cameo appearances in dramas like Sweet Revenge, Idol Fever, and My Romantic Some Recipe. His last dramas were No Going Back Romance and Find Me If You Can, where he made cameo appearances.
