Singer Park Bo-ram, who passed away suddenly on April 11, 2024. Kyunghyang Shinmun file photo
Spring has come again, and the late Park Bo-ram is not here.
The 11th marks exactly the second anniversary since the late singer Park Bo-ram from Mnet ‘Superstar K2’ passed away. She was 30, and the farewell came suddenly with the 10th anniversary of her debut just ahead.
According to police, around 10 p.m. on April 11, 2024, the deceased was found collapsed in the bathroom while drinking with two acquaintances at the apartment of an acquaintance in Namyangju. She was transported to a hospital while receiving CPR, but was pronounced dead at 11:17 p.m. the same day. The National Forensic Service (NFS) later stated that the autopsy indicated a cause of death of ‘suspected acute alcohol intoxication’. There were no signs of homicide or suicide.
At the time of her death, she was suffering from liver lesions and fatty liver. Liver lesions are a state in which the liver becomes hard and loses normal function; at this stage, even a small amount of alcohol may not be processed in the body and can lead to fatal results. Her father died of cirrhosis and her mother of liver cancer, and she lost both parents at age 23.
Eight days before her death, on April 3, 2024, she released the single ‘I Miss You Already’. It was ordinary news of a new track, but it became her last voice. In February of the same year, together with fellow ‘Superstar K2’ contestant Huh Gak, she released ‘That Would Be Nice’, continuing their long connection through music.
Immediately after the news spread, fans paid tribute by streaming her songs such as ‘I Miss You Already’ and the drama ‘Reply 1988’ OST ‘Hyehwa-dong (or Ssangmun-dong)’. On the 11th, commemorative posts for the second anniversary are also continuing on various social networking services (SNS).
In 2010, she appeared on ‘Superstar K2’ and became known with a stage that reinterpreted ‘When the Years Pass’. After a four-year training period, she made her official debut in 2014 with ‘Got Prettier’ with Zico of Block B. She then continued to work steadily, moving between drama OSTs, duet collaborations, and stages on King of Mask Singer. In August 2024, at the request of her family and colleagues, a 10th-anniversary memorial album ‘Last Song’ (The Last Song) was released.
In April of last year, the first anniversary, singer Kim Geurim expressed anger on SNS while mourning the deceased, writing, “Blood surges, divine punishment will come.” Heo Young-ji of KARA posted, “Love you, miss you.” On March 1 this year, her birthday, Giant Pink visited the columbarium and lamented, “It is already coming up on two years.”
