Korean singer Choi Sung Bong is reported to have passed away by suicide in the Yeoksam-dong district of Seoul at 9.41 am on Tuesday morning (local time). He was 33 years old. Choi had posted a note on his YouTube channel the day before his death in which he apologised for his ‘foolish mistakes’. In it, he thanked his fans for their support towards his career, as he wrote: “From 2011 to the present, I have been receiving attention and love from so many people. I sincerely thank you and express my gratitude.”
In the note, Choi also apologised for the 2021 scam: “I am sincerely sorry for my foolish mistakes and those who have suffered damage, and I have repeatedly made mistakes. For the past two years, we have returned all those who have asked for a return of donations.” According to reports, Choi had lied about having multiple types of cancer, two years back and had asked his fans for donations.
The South Korean singer who shot to fame in Korea's Got Talent, got particular praise for his operatic rendition of Ennio Morricone's Nella Fantasia, which impressed the judges and made him advance all the way to the finals, eventually coming in second place by just 280 votes.
The YouTube clip of his performance on the show went viral and was viewed over 21 million times. K-pop stars such as BoA and Jung-Hwa Um were also wowed by the performance and promoted it on social media. Choi was even praised by Justin Bieber on his Facebook page, with the pop star writing: “This is awesome. Never say never, and good luck to this kid. Great story.”
After his stint on the talent show, Choi released a number of singles, including Slowcoach in 2016, Tonight in 2021 and I PRAY in 2022.