Actor Lee Yong-joo died suddenly on the 29th at 44, ending a career that many viewers still associated with his breakout turn as a naive rookie soldier in tvN's sitcom The Blue Tower. The funeral altar was set up the same day in Room 5 of the Bundang Jesaeng Hospital funeral hall in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province.
News of his death spread quickly because Lee was still identified so strongly with that role, the one that made him the face of The Blue Tower and left a lasting impression on viewers. He had started out as a model before moving into acting, and his screen debut came in the 2004 film Thomas Ahn Joong Keun.
He also appeared in MBC's Hello Franceska, tvN's Ugly Miss Young-ae and SBS's Two Women's Room, building a steady career that was still in motion when he died of a heart attack. That is what makes the loss so sharp: he was 44, an age when he should still have been in the middle of his work, not the subject of a memorial hall.
Tributes followed as viewers and colleagues reacted to the news, with one saying, “He was truly an actor I loved, and I can't believe it,” and another recalling, “That rookie soldier character is still vivid in my mind.” A third voice put it more plainly: “It is heartbreaking that he passed away at such a young age.”
The unanswered question now is not how the public will remember him — that part is already clear — but what led to a heart attack that took his life so abruptly. For now, the next formal step is set: the funeral procession will be held at 6:30 a.m. on the 31st, with the burial site at the Seongnam-si Funeral Culture Center.
