No autopsy for SHINee's Jonghyun, death ruled as suicide: Police

December 20, 2017 | 10:12

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SEOUL: There will be no autopsy conducted on the body of Korean pop star Jonghyun, who died on Monday after he was found unconscious in a rented apartment in Seoul's Gangnam neighbourhood.

There will be no autopsy conducted on the body of K-pop star Jonghyun, who died on Monday (Dec 18). (Photo: Facebook/SHINee)

"It looks certain that it was a suicide," said Seoul police on Tuesday (Dec 19). "So we plan to close the case without autopsy as requested by the family."

The 27-year-old was found lying near a coal briquette burning in a frying pan - a common method of suicide in South Korea. He was transported to a nearby hospital, but later died.

Earlier on Monday, Jonghyun's sister had called the authorities to report the possible suicide of her brother, who was the lead singer of top K-pop group SHINee.

He had sent her a text message, which read like a suicide note, police said.

"I've had a hard time. Please let me go and say that I did a good job. This is my last word," the note reportedly read.

On Tuesday, Jonghyun's close friend, musician Nain9, released the note on her Instagram account, saying he had asked her to publish it in the event of his death.

"I am broken from inside. The depression that gnawed on me slowly has finally engulfed me entirely," it said, adding that he "couldn't defeat it anymore".

"I was so alone," he went on. "The act of ending is difficult. I've lived until now because of that difficulty."

"Please tell me I did a good job," he implored, ending the note with: "You've worked hard. You've really gone through a lot. Goodbye."

SHINee's agent SM Entertainment, which dominates K-pop and has several other top acts under its wing including Girl's Generation and Super Junior, said Jonghyun's funeral will be held on Thursday.

"Other members of SHINee as well as other artists at our company are all mourning his death amid deep sorrow and shock," it said in a statement.

Many other K-pop stars at the firm cancelled public appearances to visit the mourning altar at a Seoul hospital where his body lies, with hundreds of tearful fans also in attendance.

Meanwhile, SHINee, which has released five chart-sweeping albums at home and abroad since 2008, turned its Facebook profile and cover photo black in mourning.