South Korean singer Sulli Photo: VCG

Chinese netizens took to social media to post messages of sorrow after news broke that Choi Jin-ri (better known as Sulli), a South Korean singer and former member of South Korean girl group f(x), had passed away. 

The Seongnam Fire Department has revealed more news about Sulli's sudden passing to the press. Sulli was already deceased prior to the arrival of the paramedics. According to the police, Sulli's manager last spoke on the phone with her on Sunday until roughly 6 PM and had not heard from her since, then they decided to go to her residence to check up on her, Allkpop reported.

According to reports, the K-pop star's manager found the 25-year-old singer dead at her home in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam in the Gyeonggi province of South Korea. Police are investigating the cause of death on the assumption she took her own life, according to a report from South Korean news agency Yonhap.

Sulli once revealed that she has panic disorder and social phobia during the reality show Jinro Store, Yonhap reported. 

The hashtag for Sulli's death quickly earned more than 280 million views on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo in just a short while after the news broke. Some Chinese netizens noticed that Sina Weibo's search function crashed for a time, which they speculate was due to the sheer amount of posts related to the news.  

Many Chinese netizens were shocked by the news and called for people to treasure life.

"I can't believe Sulli is gone now. I just hope she has found peace after all the hardships she has gone through. And those who always attack her online please stop and be polite," one Chinese netizen commented on Sina Weibo.