[Sportschosun Lee Woo-joo] Singer Okhee has died after battling kidney cancer. She was 73.
Jang Mi-hwa, a close friend of Okhee, told Yonhap News Agency in a phone interview on the 20th that "Okhee passed away from kidney cancer at a hospice ward in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province."
Jang said, "I always took a taxi in the afternoon to visit her at the hospital one last time, but when I got home, I received a call saying she had passed away. Her family was with her at the end," expressing her deep sorrow.
The sad news came just one day after reports on the 19th said that Okhee's condition had rapidly worsened and that she was in critical condition amid her battle with kidney cancer.
Meanwhile, Okhee debuted in the United States in 1974 as the leader of the five-member girl group Seoul Sisters. After returning to Korea, she launched her solo career with "I Don't Know." She went on to release a string of hits, including "Speak with Your Eyes" and "Best Friend," and became one of the defining singers of her era. She married boxing world champion Hong Su-hwan in 1977, divorced a year later, and remarried him in 1995.
wjlee@sportschosun.com
