South Korean Singer Wheesung Dies at 43

K-pop singer and songwriter Wheesung (born Choi Whee-sung), was found dead in his home in Seoul, South Korea on Monday night (March 10). According to The Hollywood Reporter, no cause of death has been determined yet and foul play is not suspected, with Seoul police saying a “substantial” amount of time appeared to have passed before the singer’s body was discovered.

“The artist Wheesung has left us. He was found in cardiac arrest at his residence and was later pronounced dead,” his agency, Tajoy Entertainment, said in a statement. The singer’s mother reportedly discovered his body and called emergency services.

Wheesung rose to prominence in the early 2000s with his soulful vocals and smooth R&B style in a career cut short by a drug-use scandal.

Born on Feb. 5, 1982, Wheesung made his performance debut in 1999 with the K-pop boy band A4. After a short stint in the group, Wheesung broke solo in 2000 and released his debut single, the emotional R&B ballad “Can’t We?” in 2002, followed by his R&B/soul-inspired debut solo album, Like a Movie.

After winning best new artist at the 2002 Golden Disc Awards, he dropped his sophomore effort, It’s Real, in 2003, expanding his sound to include hip-hop and pop vibes. Several more albums followed in 2004 (For the Moment), 2005 (Love… Love… ? Love… !) and 2007 (Eternal Essence of Music); his most recent release was the 2018 EP In Space.

Wheesung bounced between a number of different management companies in the ensuing years and a decade into his solo run reverted to his early career stage name, Realslow. His career went into a downswing in 2013 when he was accused of using the surgical anesthetic propofol — the drug that contributed to Michael Jackson’s death — for several years for what he said was treatment for a herniated disk and hair loss.

Within days in March and April in 2020, Wheesung was found passed out in public bathrooms near syringes and vials containing etomidate, another sleep-inducing drug similar to propofol, according to BBC News. Following those incidents, his agency at the time, Real Slow Company, issued a statement in which it said, “He has been going through an incredibly difficult period due to the sudden passing of his father and close friends. He has been suffering from depression and panic disorder and has been receiving psychiatric treatment,” according to the Korea Herald.

In 2021, Wheesung got a two-year suspended sentence for abusing propofol.

The singer, who was also a well-respected producer and songwriter, also worked with a number of other K-pop artists, including the girl groups Twice, T-ara and Orange Caramel, as well as Younha, G. NA and Ailee. He was scheduled to co-headline a show with singer KCM dubbed “The Story,” in Daegu, South Korea at EXCO Auditorium on Saturday (March 15); that show has been cancelled.