He was 33.

Choi was found dead by police at his home in the Yeoksam-dong district in southern Seoul at 9:41 a.m. Tuesday, according to police and fire authorities as quoted by Yonhap news agency.

The operatic pop singer gained public attention after taking the runner-up prize in "Korea's Got Talent" aired by tvN in 2011, but he largely fell from public view in 2021 after he received large sums in sponsorship by falsely claiming he was fighting against multiple cancers.

He had since confessed his wrongdoings and promised to return the donations he received, the South Korean news agency reported.

Police believe that Choi killed himself, considering the circumstances at his home and a note he uploaded to his YouTube channel the day before to imply a suicide.

The note said, as quoted by Yonhap, "I sincerely apologize to all who suffered from my foolish mistake," adding that all donations were returned.