The funeral for the late singer Okhee will be held as an official Korea Singers Association ceremony.
On the 22nd, the Korea Singers Association announced, "The funeral for the late Okhee, who left a significant mark on the development of Korean popular music, will be held as a Korea Singers Association ceremony at 10:00 AM on the 24th at the funeral hall of Asan Medical Center in Seoul." They added, "We ask for your interest and cooperation so that we may honor the late singer's artistic life and achievements and pay our final respects."
In accordance with the late singer's wishes as a devout Christian, the funeral service will be held in a worship format. Park Sang-chul, President of the Korea Singers Association, will deliver the eulogy, and a director of the association will give a memorial address. The ceremony will continue with a video screening of the late singer's career, a summary of her biography, and a flower-laying and incense-burning ceremony.
Okhee debuted in 1974 with the song "I Don't Know" and was widely loved for her unique, soulful voice and stage presence. During her prime, she was an active singer before marrying world champion boxer Hong Soo-hwan. She paused her entertainment career in 1985 to focus on the restaurant business. She returned to the stage in 2003 and served as an executive for the Korea Singers Association, working hard for the advancement of popular music and the rights of fellow artists.
The late singer was diagnosed with kidney cancer in February of last year and had been battling the illness. She passed away at the age of 69 on the afternoon of the 20th at a hospice ward in a hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, surrounded by her husband, Hong Soo-hwan, and her family.
The Korea Singers Association paid tribute, stating, "Okhee was a singer who dedicated herself to the development of Korean popular music and brought inspiration and comfort to countless people. Her footprint in the world of popular culture and arts will be remembered for a long time."
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)