The Lovely Kim Jonghyun Of SHINee

Background Story

K-pop group SHINee member Kim Jong Hyun died on Dec 18 at the age of 27 in an apparent suicide.Korean singer Kim Jong Hyun, 27, better known as Jonghyun, took his own life on Monday (Dec 18), shocking fans around the world who mourned the young SHINee band member's death.

Here is a look back at his life.

 Jonghyun was scouted by music company SM Entertainment when he was just 15, playing a show with his band at school.The band SHINee debuted in 2008, and he has been noted for contributing to the band's music, including writing lyrics.Jonghyun was close to his older sister Kim Song Dam, also known as Seodam.
He posted a selfie of himself with her on Twitter in 2014, calling her "his breath".According to Korean media reports,  Jonghyun sent his sister a suicide note via text message on Monday. She then reported it to the police who rushed to his apartment.

"It's been really hard for me until now. Please let me go, and tell me I've worked hard, last good bye."
He had diverse musical aand pop culture interests, from Prince to Haruki Murakami

He had listed as his musical influences American singer Prince and British band Jamiroquai. In May this year, Kim shared his iTunes playlist with Australian media site SBS.

On it were artists like Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Baek Yerin.

He told Berlin-based Seek Magazine in 2014 that he liked the anime Ghost In The Shell, and that his favourite film was American Psycho.

He listed Japanese writer Haruki Murakami's magical realism book Kafka On The Shore as his favourite book.
After his death, fans and media outlets alike pointed out hints at his mental state in interviews and previous reports.

In a 2015 video for South Korean TV network Mnet's 4 Things Show,  Jonghyun cried as he talked about his struggle with the public perception of him.

"I don't think there are too many people to whom I've revealed everything like this. I would worry about what they would think if I were to talk to them in such a manner. No matter what I say, honestly, people would only judge me the way they want to," he said.

"Before, I would want to show the real side of me because of the unfair things that people said about me, but I realised that it was impossible and tried to think why people thought of me in that manner."

He added that "there aren't that many people who would want to know the real me".He told online fan magazine i-D in an interview in June last year that his one and only goal was "staying in good shape both physically and mentally".

"That way I can continue producing music I love and meet with the fans as long as possible," he said.

He told Esquire (Korea) magazine in an interview in May that he was "fundamentally a pessimistic person".

"Ever since I was little I showed a lot of depressive feelings, and it's the same in the present," he said. "But I don't think I can keep living my life sustaining those depressive feelings forever. You might be able to go through the early-to-mid-part of your life with that kind of melancholy."

He added that a person can grow only if  he puts aside those feelings.

"Unless you want to get trapped within yourself and die, you have to grow no matter how much it hurts - but if you stop because you're afraid, in the end it's inevitable that you'd remain in an immature state of mind," he told interviewer Shin Ki Joo. "I chose the path to transform myself. To reveal myself to the public. To attempt to make my thoughts understood."

Jonghyun was in Singapore just last month with his band and female band Red Velvet.

The groups were flown in as ambassadors of The Shilla Duty Free, the Korean duty free retailer which opened a new outlet at Changi's Terminal 4.

His death came as a huge shock to his many fans. 

Already, there are tons of tributes to him online.

As of 9.30pm on Monday, Jonghyun was the top trending topic on Singapore's edition of Twitter, with 2.26 million tweets.Jonghyun's family did everything they could to save the talented star before his death, new reports have shown.

The Korean popstar, who was the lead singer of one of the country's biggest K-Pop boybands SHINee, took his own life on December 18 after a period of depression.

It's now emerged that Jonghyun - real name Kim Jong-Hyun - sent a 'suicide letter' to his best friend a couple of weeks before his death, prompting concern among his friends and family.
He had posted the lengthy note to Jang Hee Yeon, the lead singer of South Korean band Dear Cloud, who is better known as her stage name Nine9.According to reports, she received it days before Jonghyun's solo concert on December 9 and immediately let her agency know the contents so they could get him help.

Koreaboo.com claims Nine9's agency told them: "Jonghyun sent her the letter a few days before his concert. Nine9 was so shocked [when she received the letter], that she notified us [immediately].

"We didn't know what to do, so we attended his concert to inform his family about it."
The agency said Jonghyun's relatives were already aware of his mental health problems.

"Jonghyun's family already knew he was suffering, so they tried to constantly be there for him," the agency is quoted as saying.

"After receiving the letter, Nine9 also kept in touch with Jonghyun more frequently."
Nine9 last night shared the heartbreaking letter on social media, according to Jonghyun's final wish.

In it, he talked desperately about his self-loathing and said he was "worthless" and "to blame" for his feelings.

He finished the note with the painfully raw lines: "Clashing with the world was never meant for me. The life of fame was never meant for me.

"That's all the reason why it hurts. Because I'm famous. Why did I choose this. It's so funny.

"It's a wonder I lasted so long.

"What can I say. Just tell me I've done well. That this is good enough. That I've worked hard. Even if you can't smile don't fault me on my way. You did well, you worked hard. Goodbye."
It's also been reported by Korean media that Jonghyun send texts to both Nine9 and his older sister shortly before taking his own life.

"Jonghyun said his last goodbye [via text] to his sister and Nine9 on the day that he passed away," Nine9's agency went on.

"His message was very similar to the previous letter he'd sent to Nine9. Nine9 and his sister called the police and found him, but it was too late."

Jonghyun's cause of death has been reported as carbon monoxide poisoning, which may have come from inhaling fumes.

His three-day funeral started today, with weeping fans lining the roads outside the Asan Medical Centre in Seoul where a giant portrait of the 27-year-old stands surrounded by pink, yellow and white flowers.

SHINee's record label SM Entertainment, which plucked Jonghyun from obscurity and made him famous, is holding a two-day memorial there for fans to pay their respects before his family and friends hold a private funeral service on December 21.

His SHINee bandmates, Taemin, Key, Minho and Onew, appeared at the memorial site dressed in dark suits with their heads bowed.

They have been honoured with the 'chief mourner' funeral roles that are traditionally held by the brothers of the dead, to celebrate their close bond with Jonghyun.