Moon Bin, Member of the K-Pop Group Astro, Dead at 25 – Rolling Stone

Moon Bin, a member of the popular K-pop group Astro, died Wednesday, April 19. He was 25. 

Astro’s label/management company, Fantagio, confirmed his death in a statement following reports that Moon Bin had been found dead in his Seoul apartment by a manager. A cause of death was not given

“First, we apologize for having to convey this sorrowful and heartbreaking news. On April 19, ASTRO member Moonbin suddenly left us and has now become a star in the sky,” Fantagio’s statement reads, translated via Soompi.

It continues: “Although it cannot compare to the grief of the bereaved family that had to part with their beloved son and brother, his fellow artists and the staff here at Fantagio, who have been together with him for a long time, are also deeply mourning the departed amidst tremendous shock and sorrow. It pains us even more to have to convey this sudden news to the fans who have given their unsparing love and support to Moonbin. Because we know all too well just how unparalleled the departed [Moonbin] was in his love for his fans, whom he was constantly thinking of, the grief is all the more overwhelming.”

The label noted that Moon Bin’s family is requesting a quiet funeral with “family, close friends, and agency colleagues in attendance.” To allow everyone to “respectfully mourn the departed and say their goodbyes,” the label asked fans to “please refrain from speculative or malicious reports.”  

Moon Bin began his career as a child model and actor, appearing in music videos and the popular K-drama, Boys Over Flowers. Early on, he signed a deal with Fantagio and rose through the ranks of the company’s training program, which is how he became a member of Astro. The group’s first project was a web series, To Be Continued, after which they started focusing on music, releasing their debut EP, Spring Up, in 2016.

Over the next three years, Moon Bin worked on various TV projects while Astro released a string of increasingly popular EPs, culminating in the arrival of their 2019 debut album, All Light, which topped the charts in Korea. Later that year, however, Fantagio announced that Moon Bin would take a temporary hiatus from Astro due to unspecified health problems. 

By early 2020, however, Moon Bin had rejoined the group and quickly resumed working. Along with continuing to write and record with Astro, he and his bandmate Yoon San-ha launched their own side project, which released three EPs, the most recent arriving in Jan. of this year. Meanwhile, Astro’s most recent album — now the last to feature Moon Bin — Drive to the Starry Road, arrived in May 2022.

Along with music, Moon Bin remained busy as an actor, appearing in web dramas like The Mermaid Prince, hosting the music television program Show Champion, and even spending a few seasons a cast member on Saturday Night Live Korea.