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Trot singer Song Dae-kwan dies at 79

February 7, 2025

Trot singer Song Dae-kwan, known for his 1975 hit “Sunny Day,” died Friday at age 79.

Song was taken to a hospital emergency room Thursday after his condition worsened and died of a heart attack Friday morning while receiving treatment, his family said.

Trot singer Song Dae-kwan (Yonhap)
Trot singer Song Dae-kwan (Yonhap)

He had recently been hospitalized for the treatment of candidiasis a few days ago but was discharged after his condition improved, they added.

Song debuted in 1967 with “The Kind Man” but remained largely unknown until “Sunny Day” propelled him to stardom in 1975.

He abruptly immigrated to the United States as theater shows, a once-lucrative source of income for singers, were in decline. He returned to his country in 1989 and successfully relaunched his music career the same year with “Because of Love.”

He went on to release numerous hit songs, including “Four Beats,” “Popular Song” and “One Train Ticket,” and was considered one of the “Big 4″ male trot singers of the late 1980s and 1990s, along with Tae Jin-ah, Hyun Cheol and Seol Woon-do.

“The deceased was originally scheduled to appear on the ‘Gayo Stage’ show next week but called a few days ago to postpone his appearance due to his poor condition,” said Choi Heon, a writer for the long-running KBS music program for older generations. “We were still able to have a conversation at that time, but he suddenly passed away,” he added, expressing regret.