Actor Lee Sang-bo has passed away.
The funeral rite for the late Lee Sang-bo will be held on the morning of the 29th. The wake is set up in Room 3 of Pyeongtaek Central Funeral Hall in Gyeonggi Province, and the burial site is Cheonan Memorial Park.
Born in 1981, the late actor debuted in 2006 in the KBS2 drama "Invisible Man Choi Jang-soo" and steadily worked across television and film. He showed his presence in various works such as the drama "Daughter-in-law's heyday", "Evil Love", "Rugal", "Private Life", "Miss Monte Cristo", and "Elegant Empire", and built his filmography with appearances in films such as "Secretly, Greatly" and "Mephisto."
The late actor's acting career was not all smooth. He lived with deep sorrow after experiencing successive family bereavements, and as a result he went through difficult times with depression and panic disorder.
In particular, in 2022 he was embroiled in an incident alleging drug use due to taking prescribed medication, but after a detailed analysis by the National Forensic Service found no drug components, he was cleared of charges and vindicated.
Afterwards, the late actor did not despair and renewed his commitment to acting as he worked toward a comeback. He successfully returned through KBS2's "Elegant Empire," and last year he signed an exclusive contract with Korea Management Group (KMG), saying, "I want to prepare myself so well in acting that it overturns that incident and show people." According to OSEN reporting, he had recently been running a restaurant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province while making a living.
But in the year marking his 20th anniversary since debut, the sudden news delivered a great shock to the entertainment industry and fans. The cause of death was not disclosed at the family's request, and the police are investigating the exact circumstances.
A cousin who ran the barbecue restaurant with the late actor and stayed by his side told OSEN, "My feelings are complicated," expressing a stunned state of mind.
Despite numerous trials, actor Lee Sang-bo showed the will to stand again through acting. Many are sending deep condolences over his sudden farewell.
※ If you have difficult-to-talk-about worries such as depression, or if family members or acquaintances around you are experiencing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling via the suicide prevention hotline at ☎109, the mental health counseling line at ☎1577-0199, the hope line at ☎129, the lifeline at ☎1588-9191, the youth hotline at ☎1388, the youth mobile counseling app "I'll listen to everything," KakaoTalk and other services.
[Photo] OSEN DB / KMG provided
[OSEN]