A heartbreaking story has been shared about how the late Turtleman of the group Turtle gave up medical checkups to continue his musical activities.
In the JTBC variety show ‘Hidden Singer 8’ aired on the 19th, a special episode was dedicated to Turtleman, the leader of Turtle who passed away in 2008, featuring group members Geumbi and Ji-i.
During the broadcast, ‘Bingo’, ‘Why Like This’, and ‘Airplane’ were featured as mission songs.
Regarding ‘Airplane’, Ji-i shared, “It is the song that received the most love. We had many hits, but this was the first song to hit number one after five years since our debut.”
She added, “Before the song came out, there was a major incident where Turtleman oppa collapsed and was bedridden,” referring to his acute myocardial infarction in 2005.
Geumbi explained, “While lying in the hospital after surgery, he said the melody for ‘Airplane’ came to him, so he recorded it on his phone immediately. The song was titled ‘Airplane’ while they were performing at an event in Guam after his recovery.”
Ji-i expressed her deep affection for the song, calling it “even more special” because it reached number one after he overcame the acute myocardial infarction.
The members also shared the reason why Turtleman eventually stopped his treatment.
Geumbi revealed, “The doctor told him to lose at least 30kg to maintain his health, and he actually managed to get down to the 70kg range. However, his voice became too thin. He then said, ‘I will just live as Turtleman, with my own voice,’ and stopped treatment to immerse himself in music production.”
Ji-i shared the story of how he sacrificed his health for the stage, saying, “He needed checkups every six months, but those exams required him to be bedridden for a month or two. He gave up the checkups, saying, ‘Even if I die, I want to die on stage.'”
Turtleman was found dead at his home in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, in April 2008 due to acute myocardial infarction at the age of 38. He had previously undergone two myocardial infarction surgeries in 2005 after collapsing during promotions for ‘Bingo’.
It was reported that he struggled with obesity, weighing up to 103kg, and relied on caffeine, drinking up to 10 cans of coffee a day to endure fatigue, while smoking two and a half packs of cigarettes daily.
