Sulli, Korean pop star, who spoke out against cyberbullying, found dead at 25

Choi Jin-ri, a South Korean pop singer and actress better known as Sulli, was found dead on Monday in her home, police said.

The talented singer, who had once spoken out against cyberbullying, was found dead by her manager at a two-story house in Seongnam, in the Gyeonggi province of South Korea after he went to her house — since she could not be reached on phone.

“Her manager visited her home after failing to reach her since their last call the night before,” police said in a statement.

“Sulli was grappling with severe depression.”

The police investigating her shocking death claim they are working on assumption that she must have taken her own life — although details, as regards the cause of her death, have not been revealed.

Sulli, 25, first had a feel of the limelight as a child actress, playing the young Princess Seonhwa of Silla in the SBS drama ‘Ballad of Seodong’ released in 2005.

In 2009, she debuted as a member of the South Korean girl band f(x) but later left the group in 2015 and went on a hiatus from the industry to focus on her acting career after she couldn’t cope with online abuse.

After three years, Sulli resumed her music career with a feature on Dean’s 2018 single ‘Dayfly’ before making her solo debut in June 2019 with the single album ‘Goblin’.

She was widely perceived as controversial, having been involved in a fashion scandal dubbed ‘no bra’ that saw her expose nipples on a number of ‎occasions in a move that was trailed by heated criticism from her fans and citizens of the country.

The award-winning actress had opened up about her struggles coping with fame and a panic disorder that came with demands of stardom.

“Even close people left me. I was hurt by them and felt there was nobody who understands me, which made me fall apart,” she was quoted to have said while speaking on Jinro Shore, a reality show.

Sulli had also responded to a social media message criticizing her for not wearing a bra.

“It’s because I feel comfortable that way … not wearing a bra looks more natural and prettier and bras are like accessories to me,” she had said.

Before her death, Sulli had, in the past, dealt with her fair share of negativity on social media — particularly on Instagram, where she has six million followers.