Veteran singer Park In-soo, beloved across generations for his hit song 'Spring Rain', has passed away at the age of 78.
According to his family on the 18th, Park In-soo died of pneumonia at a university hospital in Seoul. He ended his life after a long battle with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and pancreatic cancer.
Born in 1947 in Gyeongju, North Pyongan Province, he became an orphan after losing his mother during the Korean War while fleeing. After moving between orphanages, he was adopted by an American missionary at the age of twelve, but suffered from homesickness and loneliness while living in Harlem, New York. After returning to Korea, he began performing at the US 8th Army Club and joined Shin Jung-hyun's band, rising to stardom in 1970 with the song 'Spring Rain' written by Shin Jung-hyun.
His representative song 'Have You Ever Cried Looking at the Stars?' expressed his longing for his mother, who was separated from him due to the war. This song also became the catalyst for his dramatic reunion with his biological mother in 1983. He left behind many classic songs such as 'Bell-bottoms', 'Punk Broadway', 'Flowers and Butterflies', and 'House of the Rising Sun'.
However, his life was not smooth. He faced several health battles, including the marijuana scandal in the 1970s, hypoglycemic shock and memory loss in the 1990s, and pancreatic cancer surgery in 2002. In 2002, fellow singers held a fundraising concert titled 'Remember Park In-soo' to support his medical expenses.
After being forgotten by the public for a while, he appeared on KBS1's 'Human Theater' in 2012 to reveal his health struggles and made headlines by reuniting with his ex-wife, Kwak Bok-hwa, after 37 years. That same year, he held a comeback performance at a jazz club in Mapo, expressing, "I feel energized as soon as I step on stage." His last album was 'Prepared Meeting', released in 2013.
Music critic Park Seong-seo commented, "Park In-soo's poignant life is embedded in his soulful singing style," and stated, "He will be remembered in the history of popular music as Korea's first soul singer who sublimated pain and sorrow into music."
The funeral hall has been set up at the Yeongdeungpo Hospital funeral home in Seoul, and he is survived by his wife and son.
