Singer Park In-soo, voice behind hit ‘Spring Rain,’ dies at 78

Singer Park In-soo, remembered for his soulful rendition of the hit song “Spring Rain,” died of pneumonia on Monday. He was 78. According to his family, Park had long battled Alzheimer’s disease and other health issues. He had been receiving treatment at a hospital in Seoul when his condition deteriorated due to pneumonia. Hailed as Korea’s first soul singer, Park lived a turbulent life. Born in Gilju, North Pyongan Province, in 1947, he was separated from his mother during the Korean War and grew up in orphanages before being adopted and moving to the United States at age 12. He returned to Korea in 1965, bringing with him the soul style he had encountered in Harlem, New York, and began performing at U.S. military clubs. Park launched his professional career in the late 1960s when he joined the Shin Joong-hyun music circle as a guest vocalist. His breakthrough came with the 1970 hit “Spring Rain,” written by Shin. Originally sung by Lee Jeong-hwa in 1967, Park’s version, marked by his deep emotional delivery, became a classic. He went on to release other hits such as “BelWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times