 U;Nee (May 3, 1981 - January 21, 2007) was a K-Pop
South Korean female singer and actress. Before changing to music, she used a
stage name Lee Hye Ryeon, which was believed to be her birth name until her
death. She
committed suicide by hanging herself; she had reportedly been suffering from
depression.
Music Career
U;Nee was known for her sexually provocative image throughout her short music
career. Early in her music career, she attempted to create a sexier appearance
through plastic surgery, in order to appeal to a larger fan base. Although
successful in achieving a sexy image, the changes were quite drastic in
comparison to her previous appearance, and did not contribute to increased album
sales. Instead of being known as a talented singer, she became more famous for
her unusually large chest, as a result of breast implants. Due to declining
music industry in Korea, her record label decided that album sales alone was not
enough to produce profit, and chose to market her as a sexy singer. Fans of her
music decreased while fans of her new sexy look increased, who often urged the
singer to reveal herself in Korean edition of Playboy as well as other adult
entertainment publications. Heo, who was soft-spoken and reserved in real life,
found this difficult to bear.
U;Nee in Japan
U;Nee is known as Yuni. Her debut single One, taken from the Passion & Pure
sophomore LP, was launched in
February 2006 in the archipel.
Altantuya Scandal
Following the murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu in Selangor, Malaysia, photographs
purported to be those of Altantuya were circulated in the tabloids of Malaysia
and Singapore. The photographs were later shown to her father, Shaariibuu Setev,
who confirmed that the purported photographs were not those of his daughter,
saying: "That's not her...don't spoil her name". Readers subsequently
established that the photographs were those of U;Nee.
According to The Straits Times, these photographs were posted in the e-mail
inboxes of many Malaysians, which was stated with the title of Altantuya@Mongolia.
Shaariibuu Setev, in a later interview by Bernama, expressed his grievance and
condemned the press for publishing the pictures of U;Nee that were purported to
be those of Altantuya.
Altantuya herself was murdered in October 2006 and her body later blown up with
C4 explosives in a jungle in
Selangor, Malaysia. Abdul Razak Baginda, a political analyst, was charged in
connection with the murder of Altantuya.
Suicide
U;Nee died at her home in Seo-gu, Incheon, South Korea on January 21, 2007 after
hanging herself. U;Nee was
supposed to begin filming her first music video of her 3rd album on the January
22 which was to be released on
February 1, 2007, the same time as her comeback.
In the morning of January 21, 2007, U;Nee's mother, grandmother, and uncle left
for church at 10 am. During that time, U;Nee had hung herself in her dressing
room with her bathrobe belt from a railing 2 meters high. Her grandmother found
her around 12:50pm and immediately dialed emergency help.
Despite her death, U;Nee's management company has stated that they will release
her 3rd album as planned on
February 1.
Several stars and friends came to the prayer service held for U;Nee including
Maya, Lee Seung Hwan, Kim Jin Pyo,
Lee Hwa Sun, Lee Ki Chan, So Yoo Jin, and Park Ye Jin. Maya stated in a short
interview that the day before her death, she had received a text message from
U;Nee saying hello so the news of her death came as quite a shock.
Rumor across many Korean sites as far as reason for her death was her bout with
depression over her lackluster sales for her albums as well as criticism about
her image.
After her death, her body was transported to World Hospital. The family has
planned to have her body cremated.
Soon after her death, her mother held a press conference at the hospital in
order to squash any rumors. She confirmed that U;Nee dealt with bouts of
depression and was on medication for her condition. U;Nee was apparently very
introverted and suffered from all the pressure she received even as a young
child.
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