SHINee Resolve to Continue Touring After Death of Jonghyun
SHINee have vowed to continue to tour after beloved member Jonghyun (Kim Jonghyun) died by means of suicide in December.
Onew (Lee Jinki), Key (Kim Kibum), Minho (Choi Minho), and Taemin (Lee Taemin), the group's four remaining members, posted letters to the group's website Tuesday (January 9) in which they explained the choice to continue on with the SHINee World The Best 2018 - From Now On Tour, which will take them through Japan in February.
“Many people are worried about us, but we decided to do the planned Japanese shows,” Key wrote, according to a Billboard translation. “This decision is something that Jonghyun would want from us, and I believe that it's the most SHINee-like thing to do, to keep our promise to the fans and put on great performances.”
And Onew, the band's leader, noted the choice was made at least partly in honor of Jonghyun's family.
“I thought that I couldn’t do this concert,” he wrote. “However, Jonghyun’s mother told me not to give up. So I thought that if we could comfort those who are missing [Jonghyun] and in pain, then I should work harder even if I am lacking.”
Jonghyun died on December 18 after a battle with depression, which the singer allegedly chronicled in a final note.
“The depression that was slowly devouring me at last consumed me,” he apparently wrote in a message acquired by BBC the day after his death. “I was broken from the inside…the life of fame was never meant for me.”
Scenes From Jonghyun's Heartbreaking Funeral: