Jonghyun's secret love life and his battle for perfection: SHINee fans reveal private struggles of talented singer

The 27-year-old singer of one of the biggest K-pop boy band's is being laid to rest this week

Jonghyun battled cruel taunts about his love life and was desperate to achieve perfection, fans have revealed in the aftermath of his suicide.

The lead singer of Korean K-pop boyband SHINee was just 27 when he took his own life on December 18, leaving millions of fans devastated.

While the manufactured band's management kept strict control of their young charges' careers, little snippets of Jonghyun's life cast light on what he may have been going through.

Jonghyun - real name Kim Jong-Hyun - was a founding member of SHINee in 2008 and became one of the most enduring artists within the industry.

But the pressure to be seen as perfect while living life as a normal twenty-something took its toll on the star.

Korean pop is one of the most influential music industries in the world, boasting hundreds of young and hungry artists who not only sing, but must also dance and act to jet themselves into the entertainment world.

A handful of record companies are responsible for the careers of scores of bands, and will work with them on breaking into the Japanese and Chinese markets by learning the local languages and better sell records across national borders.

Young teens idolise K-pop artists and bands, whose members can often run into the double figures, and talent shows spit out new combinations of talented singers every cycle. Fans are encouraged to vote out singers of popular groups if they no longer believe the singer deserves a spot.