Written by: Alex Green

Jonghyun, who sang for the wildly successful K-Pop boy band SHINee, has died.

The Seoul-born musician was 27.

Although unconfirmed, early reports suggest Jonghyun took his own life. The cause of death is believed to be by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Born Kim Jong-hyun, the young singer also had an equally successful solo career and in addition to his work in the music industry, he was also an author and a radio host.

“Jonghyun is a complex and fascinating artist who’s blessed with an inherent musicality and the kind of pop instincts that bring to mind everyone from George Michael to Michael Jackson,” SEM’s Leif Gaslow said of Jonghyun after seeing one of his solo shows several years ago.

Jong-hyun was reportedly found by his sister in a rented apartment in Seoul’s Gangnam district.

Although some reports have maintained that the star’s sister had phoned police and made the assertion that she feared Jong-hyun was going to harm himself, other reports have suggested he was already dead when she arrived.

The Korean Herald claimed that Jong-hyun had sent a goodbye via text that read: “I’ve had a hard time. Please let me go and say that I did a good job. This is my last word.”