Drama figure widely known as the "juice man" for the iconic "juice waterfall" scene, actor Park Dong-bin (real name Park Jong-mun) has died at the age of 56. It is particularly heartbreaking that he reportedly left behind a 3-year-old daughter born with a congenital heart disease.
According to the broadcasting industry on the 30th, Park Dong-bin was found dead on the 29th at a restaurant where he had been preparing to open. Police investigation found no signs of criminal suspicion. The funeral wake was set up in VIP room 5 at the Provincial Funeral Hall in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, and listed as mourners were fellow actor and wife Lee Sang Yi, their young daughter, and other bereaved family members.
Park Dong-bin, who debuted in the 1998 film Shiri, was a veteran actor who appeared in major works such as Rascal Era, Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin and The King and I. To the public, he made a strong impact with the so-called "juice waterfall" scene in the 2012 morning drama I Think I Loved You, where he spits out orange juice upon hearing shocking news. He had continued active work, appearing regularly in several dramas including Brave and Fearless Yong Su-jeong, so his sudden death has caused even greater shock.
Most painfully, the reason his death hurts so much is the 3-year-old daughter he left behind. Park Dong-bin married actor Lee Sang Yi, 11 years his junior, in February 2020 after a two-year romance that began when they met on the 2018 drama Enemies in a Previous Life. At the time he was 50, and three years after marrying he became a late father at 52 when his first daughter was born.
But behind the couple's joy there was an unspeakable pain. Earlier, the couple appeared together on a variety show and confessed that their daughter suffers from a complex congenital heart malformation.
On that broadcast, Park Dong-bin said of his daughter's condition, "She has left heart hypoplasia syndrome, and because the left ventricle–aortic connection is not formed, without a heart transplant or staged surgeries she could die," and added that his then-16-month-old daughter underwent her first surgery four days after birth and had already endured three major operations. His wife Lee Sang Yi also said, "To make sure that until childbirth there would be only happiness, I tried every day to be happier," and added, "After the second surgery when she was in the intensive care unit, respiratory distress came and there was one shock to the brain. Because she was so young, even if she seemed fine we were told to watch her for several years, so fortunately now we are living with some relief," revealing tearful maternal devotion.
Even in the face of their daughter's illness, the couple did not lose the power of positivity. Because the child would need the last remaining surgery when she turned 3, the couple prayed desperately for their daughter's recovery and cared for her with devoted love. Also, Park Dong-bin, a first-time father at 54, was once hurt when mistaken for a grandfather while out with his daughter, but he also displayed the traits of a doting father who cherished his daughter more than anyone.
Having endured quietly for his ailing daughter and preparing to open a restaurant to fulfill his responsibilities as the head of the household, Park Dong-bin closed his eyes leaving behind his young daughter and wife, and news of his death has prompted waves of public mourning and tribute. Voices of support for his surviving wife Lee Sang Yi are also strong.
[Photo] Provided by the agency, video capture
[OSEN]