The South Korean singer Wheesung has died aged 43, with police reportedly planning to conduct an autopsy to determine his cause of death.

The singer, whose name was Choi Whee-sung, was found unconscious in his apartment on Monday night by emergency responders after his mother called for help, local media reported.

Police told local media they had found no signs of foul play but warned that “a significant amount of time” had elapsed since he died, with an autopsy requested.

“Artist Wheesung has left us,” his management agency Tajoy Entertainment confirmed on Tuesday, describing their staff and colleagues as being “in deep sorrow”.

Wheesung, who had a string of hits in South Korea including a popular cover of British star Craig David’s Insomnia, was scheduled to perform alongside singer KCM in the south-eastern city of Daegu this weekend.

In his final message on social media, Wheesung announced the upcoming concert and wrote: “Weight loss completed. See you on March 15.”

Since his singing debut in 2002, Wheesung had been popular in South Korea with numerous hit songs, including chart-topping With Me, and was well regarded for his soulful performances.

But his music career took a hit in 2021 when he was convicted and handed a suspended jail sentence for use of propofol – a surgical anaesthetic that is sometimes abused recreationally.