Remembering Rapper Iron: Four Years Since His Untimely Death

It has been four years since rapper Iron (정헌철) tragically ended his life. He was discovered bleeding in a flower bed outside an apartment in Jung-gu, Seoul, on January 25, 2021, at 10:25 AM. Despite being rushed to the hospital, he was pronounced dead at the age of 29. At the time, there were no signs of foul play or a suicide note.

Iron gained recognition in 2014 after finishing as a runner-up on Mnet's Show Me the Money (쇼미더머니) Season 3, where his performance of the track '독기' topped music charts. He solidified his career with the release of his debut single 'blu' in 2015 and his first full album, ROCK BOTTOM (록 보텀), in 2016.

However, his career faced significant challenges. In 2016, he was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 80 hours of community service for marijuana use. The following year, he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend and making threats of self-harm.

Reports indicated that during an intimate moment in 2016, he assaulted his girlfriend multiple times, resulting in fractures. He also allegedly threatened to claim that she had stabbed him if he reported the incident to the police. In November 2018, his appeal confirmed the previous sentence.

Iron later expressed on social media that he had spent four years reflecting on his life, acknowledging the pain and anger he felt, and hinted at a comeback.

Unfortunately, he was arrested again for allegedly assaulting his 18-year-old roommate, a singer-songwriter in training, with a baseball bat. He claimed it was a disciplinary action, but public backlash ensued. Tragically, he passed away while under investigation for this incident, leading to the case being closed due to lack of prosecution.