Singer Ok Hee, Who Dominated The Korean Music Scene In The 70s, Passes Away After Cancer Battle
Singer Ok Hee, who dominated the Korean music scene in the 1970s with hit songs such as “I Don’t Know” and “Neighbor Next Door,” passed away on the afternoon of the 20th of June after battling cancer. She was 73.
According to her family and acquaintances, Ok Hee had been fighting kidney cancer and passed away in a hospice ward in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, surrounded by her husband, former boxing world champion Hong Soo Hwan, and their children.
Singer Jang Mi Hwa, one of her closest friends, said in a phone interview on the 21st of June, “The day before, Ok Hee’s daughter called me and said, ‘My mom is in critical condition and is waiting for you.’ I visited her, and as soon as I returned home, I received news that she had passed away.”
She continued, “While visiting, we listened to Ok Hee’s songs together, and I whispered memories we shared. Her condition briefly improved. I thought there would be a few more days left, but it feels so empty and heartbreaking.”
Ok Hee was born in Busan in 1953 during the Korean War. Growing up with parents who worked in a traveling theater troupe, she naturally became exposed to music. After the war, she moved to Seoul with her family and began her music career while in her third year of middle school, performing on U.S. Eighth Army stages.
She was also among the pioneering generation of Korean singers who introduced Korean music overseas. In 1968, she became the leader of the five-member girl group Seoul Sisters, performing across Hong Kong, the Middle East, Canada, and other parts of the world. The group even performed in Las Vegas hotel shows, which were considered dream stages for international performers at the time, with their appearances covered by local media and Billboard magazine. Ok Hee later recalled those days by saying, “We were the original K-pop stars.”
Her greatest success came after returning to Korea and launching a solo career. Combining her strong vocals and star appeal with melodies composed by Kim Hee Gap, her song “I Don’t Know” (1974) won the MBC Top 10 Singers Award. She continued her popularity with hit songs including “Speak Only Through Your Eyes” (1975), “I Think You’re Somewhere” (1976), “Ah, That Day” (1976), “Neighbor Next Door” (1977), and “Let’s Hold Hands” (1977).
Her funeral hall has been set up at Seoul Asan Medical Center, and the funeral will be held under the organization of the Korea Singers Association. She is survived by her husband Hong Soo Hwan, one son, and one daughter.
May her soul rest in peace.
Source: (A)
