South Korean pop star Choi Sung-bong was found dead in his home in Seoul on Tuesday, June 20. He was 33.
According to South Korean news reports, police are suspecting that the singer died in an apparent suicide.
The Korea Times reported that Sung-bong was found by police at his home in the Yeoksam-dong district of Seoul at 9.41am on Tuesday.
The news of his death comes just two years after he was exposed for lying about suffering from cancer, asking fans to donate cash for his treatment.
He later admitted to faking cancer, shocking the Korean entertainment industry and his fans, and issued an apology for the scam.
The singer first rose to fame in 2011, with his appearance in the television talent hunt Korea's Got Talent at the age of 22.
Sung-bong, who signed a record deal with Bong Bong Company, won second place in the contest for his rendition of Italian composer Ennio Morricone's Nella Fantasia.
He brought the judges to tears with his emotional and powerful performance.
A clip of his performance went viral with millions of views on YouTube and stars like Justin Bieber and BoA praising him.
A day before he died, he posted a note on his YouTube channel apologising for his 'foolish mistakes'.
According to a translation of the note published on the South Korean entertainment website allkpop.com, he wrote: "Hello, this is Choi Sang-bong. The reason I am writing this is to send a letter to my fans for the last time in my life…. I sincerely apologise to those who have suffered due to my foolishness. I'm sorry. I repaid all the donations that were given to me over the past two years…. I'm sorry to everyone who has helped me….”
During his audition for Korea's Got Talent, the singer revealed that he was left in an orphanage when he was three but escaped when he was five after being beaten up. He added that he had been homeless after that and music was the one thing that had brought him joy during his troubling time.
