Family, friends, celebrities and fans attended the funeral ceremony this morning for the late SHINee member Kim Jonghyun.
The 27-year-old singer's coffin was brought out of the Asan Medical Center at around 9AM KST with the ceremony led by Jonghyun's sister and SHINee's Minho. The coffin was carried by SHINee's Taemin, Onew and Key, and Super Junior's Eunhyuk, Donghae and Leeteuk.
Outside the mortuary, hundreds of fans were also crying as the coffin was put in a hearse. Jonghyun's burial place was not announced for privacy reasons.
The funeral was held three days after Jonghyun committed suicide on December 18 in a residential hotel he rented. Authorities found him and he was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead.
His death shocked his friends, family and fans as he had just finished his concert in Seoul on December 9 and 10.
But Jonghyun revealed in his suicide note that he suffered extreme depression which he failed to overcome.
Jonghyun wrote that he "was broken from the inside. The depression slowly chipped me away, finally devouring me. I could not beat the negativity. I hated myself. Even though I tried so hard demanding my memories that kept getting cut off to 'wake up,' all I got in return was silence."
SBS News aired a CCTV footage of Jonghyun buying at a convenience store of the studio apartment hours before he died.
In a statement, SM Entertainment, SHINee's agency, said, "On December 18, SHINee member Jonghyun left our side unexpectedly. He was found unconscious at a residential hotel in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul and was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on the evening of the 18th."
"The deep sorrow cannot be compared to ones of his family who had to let go of their loving son and brother but the employees and artists of SM Entertainment, also in deep shock and sorrow, are offering condolences. Jonghyun was the best artist who loved music more than anyone and always worked hard for his performance," it added.
