Dec. 18 marks the first anniversary of Jonghyun’s passing.

On this day last year, boy group SHINee’s lead vocalist was found unresponsive at a studio apartment in Cheongdam-dong, a neighborhood in Seoul’s Gangnam district. He was rushed to the nearby Konkuk University Medical Center, but did not survive.

The 27-year-old star’s untimely passing was reported in major media outlets across the world, including the BBC, CNN, Forbes, the New York Times and the Washington Post.

His three-day funeral service, held at the Asan Medical Center Dec. 19-21, was attended by fans, colleagues and show-business personalities. His four bandmates -- Onew, Key, Minho and Taemin -- served as pallbearers.

With the anniversary just around the corner, Shiny, a foundation for young artists, is holding an arts fair Monday in Jonghyun’s memory. Founded by the late artist’s family in September, Shiny is a nonprofit organization that seeks to support budding artists with financial aid, psychotherapy, among others. Tickets to the fair were distributed in advance through a draw held by an MBC radio program.

The arts fair, held at a theater in S.M. Town Coex Artium in Gangnam, will showcase clips and writings dedicated to Jonghyun. The event will also include a memorial service.

Jonghyun made his debut with SHINee in 2008 and put out his first solo EP, “Base,” in January 2015, which topped Billboard’s World Albums chart upon release. 



While the SHINee star was already massively popular as a member of the quintet, he managed to repeat that rare success as a soloist, experimenting with new genres and venturing into songwriting and production.

He put on 22 solo shows in 2017 alone and had just wrapped up a solo concert a week prior to his death. Titled “Jonghyun’s Solo Concert: Inspired,” the two-day show took place Dec. 9-10, 2017, at the iconic Olympic Park in Seoul.

SHINee resumed work as a quartet with the 10-year anniversary series “The Story of Light,” released in succession from May to September. The series consists of three five-track EPs and a full-length album titled “Epilogue.”

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)