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Fans pay tribute to Sulli on 2nd death anniversary, warn 'how hate can kill'

Fans have been advocating mental health awareness and targetting cyberbullies in hopes that such a celebrity-suicide incident doesn’t occur again

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide and depression

Idol actress Sulli aka Choi Jin-ri shocked the K-pop industry after the news of her death broke on October 14, 2019. Even more shocking were the details — she had hanged herself in her house leaving behind a suicide note. Her death impacted fans all over as there were claims that the tragic incident was due to cyberbullying. Diagnosed with depression, Sulli had been a part of the K-pop group f(x) under SM Entertainment. After she left, it had been reported that she was constantly being trolled for her eccentric personality and was receiving death threats. There was an alarming amount of hateful messages on her social media that pushed the government to amend their cyber protection act. 

After leaving f(x) in 2015, Sulli had turned to acting with cameos in dramas like ‘Hotel Del Luna’ that also starred her friend IU. She had also renewed her movie career by landing the lead role in the noir thriller ‘Real’ starring Kim Soohyun. Unfortunately, the nudity in the film led to trolls once again targeting the idol actress. After a short hiatus, she seemingly reclaimed her public image and made her solo debut in June 2019 with her first and last solo album ‘Goblin’. She had also been roped in for the Netflix drama ‘Persona’ and had filmed one-fourth of the TV series before her death.

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Fans remember Sulli

On October 14, 2021, which happens to be Sulli’s second death anniversary, fans, in her memory, have made the late idol actress' trend on Twitter. They have been posting loving messages, advocating mental health awareness and targetting cyberbullies in the hopes of preventing such a celebrity-suicide incident in the future.

Fans posted messages like, “It's been 2 years our angel, Sulli. I hope you already found the happiness you truly deserve wherever you are. I love you so much my angel.” Another fan brought back her solo debut, “Today I am thinking about Sulli’s first solo project ‘Goblin’. Sulli worked very hard on this album and even co-wrote every song. In the music video, Sulli portrays a person with dissociative disorder. She showcases her acting & singing talents and serves amazing visuals.”

One fan talked about the meaning of the idol’s stage name, “My name is sulli. 'sul' means snow and 'li' means pear flower, so i’ll probably be reborn as a small flower but full of strong vitality.” They also trended the song ‘Peach’ that IU had written for Sulli, “Never forget the fact that jieun loves and cherishes sulli so much that she wrote a song about her.” Another talked about how Sulli continues to inspire, “She continues to inspire and giving people strength around the world, every day. let’s all stay strong, peaches… and continue to warmly remember sulli. i’ll personally do my best to keep these memories alive through my account. sulli & i love you lots.”

Similarly, another fan talked about how she was an activist in her own right, “I will never allow anyone to reduce Sulli to just her passing or turn her into an “aesthetic”. Sulli was a kind, generous, beautiful, talented & bold woman. She stands for both race & gender equality, women’s rights and the destigmatisation of mental health issues.” One posted, “It is sulli's death anniversary today. Just another example how depression can really affect someone, how people's hate and words can kill someone. Remember to be always mindful wt the words that you're going to say. To think twice on hating other people. Smile in heaven, angel.” Even Sulli’s friend, actress Kim Sun-ah who takes care of her pet cat Blin shared a photo of the two.