K-pop star Samuel's father Jose Arredondo killed in Mexico, fans urge him to 'stay strong'

K-pop star Samuel’s father Jose Arredondo has been killed in Mexico.

The 17-year-old, whose full name is Samuel Kim Arredondo, has released music as a solo artist and, in 2015, as part of the music duo 1Punch, when he went by the nickname “Punch.” In 2017, he appeared on the second season of reality competition show Produce 101.

K-pop star Samuel Kim Arredondo, better known as Samuel, walks the red carpet on Dec. 12, 2018, in Beijing. (Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
K-pop star Samuel Kim Arredondo, better known as Samuel, walks the red carpet on Dec. 12, 2018, in Beijing. (Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

The senior Arredondo, 58, was a popular businessman who owned both a group of car dealerships and a real estate company in Southern California.

His body was found Tuesday in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that prosecutors are investigating the death and that Arredondo’s body “showed signs of blunt force trauma,” and California’s Bakersfield.com said the local businessman’s pastor confirmed Arredondo had been stabbed.

Jose Arredondo reportedly came to the United States when he was just 11 and didn’t know any English. He went on to earn millions and become a community leader, donating cars to the local New Life Church, which he attended for more than 20 years.

While Samuel’s father hailed from Mexico and his mother from Korea, Samuel was born in America. Before he became a K-pop star, he appeared in commercials for his father’s car dealerships.

He also appeared on the Ustream show Seventeen TV before hitting it big.

Fans shared words of support with the star, and they urged him to stay strong.

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