Folk singer Lee Dong-won loses battle with esophageal cancer

Late singer Lee Dong-won performs at a restaurant of Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, in this Oct. 22, 1989, photo. Yonhap

By Park Han-sol

Folk singer Lee Dong-won, who is best-known for his 1989 lyrical duet of "Nostalgia" with tenor Park In-soo, died Sunday after battling esophageal cancer. He was 70.

The singer passed away at the residence of his close friend, comedian Jeon Yoo-seong, at the foot of Mount Jiri in Namwon, North Jeolla Province.

After making his debut in 1970, Lee has often been called a singer who elicits "autumnal emotions" with his signature poetic lyrics and melodies.

For his best-known track, "Nostalgia," the singer adapted a poem written by literary pioneer Jeong Ji-yong (1902-50) into a song ― to express an inconsolable, nostalgic longing for one's hometown. Performed as a duet between a pop singer and a classical vocalist, the song is reputed to have broadened the horizons of the Korean music scene in the 1990s.

His other folk tracks, such as "Farewell Song," "My Love" and "Autumn Letter," have been covered in different musical genres by other artists, including Lee Eun-mi and rock band YB.

A concert, originally scheduled as a benefit event by Lee's friends and acquaintances to be held on Nov. 22 in Seoul, will serve as an opportunity to remember the deceased singer. Its attendees include veteran singers Cho Young-nam, Lim Hee-sook, Kim Do-hyang and Yoon Hyung-joo. Any profits made will be used to cover the artist's funeral expenses and other memorial projects.

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