South Korean actress-model Song Yoo-Jung passed away this weekend. She was 26.

According to reports, Song’s management company Sublime Artist Agency confirmed she died this past Saturday (January 23). Although Song’s cause of death has not been revealed, multiple outlets reported that the young star was found dead in Seoul.

“In accordance with the wishes of her family, the funeral was held quietly and the funeral procession takes place on January 25,” the agency wrote in a statement, according to Newsweek. “Song Yoo Jung was a friend of ours who always gave us joy with her bright smile, and she was a wonderful actress who acted with heated passion. Please pray for the repose of her soul so that she may rest in peace in a warm place.”

Song’s death is the latest in a grim string of tragedies to hit South Korea’s entertainment industry, which lost many of its young stars in recent years. In 2020, actress Oh In-hye died at 36; TST band member Yohan died at 28. Singer-actress Goo Hara and singer Sulli both died by suicide in 2019, as did SHINee member Jonghyun in 2017.

Song burst onto the big screen in 2013’s Golden Rainbow, before landing parts in projects like Make a Wish, School 2017, and the 2019 web series, Dear My Name. Apart from starring in films, Song moonlighted as a model who’d featured in campaigns for The Body Shop, Baskin-Robins, and Estée Lauder. She also starred in one of K-pop group iKON’s music videos.

Photo: Getty Images

Rick O'Bryan