BTS member j-hope shared a deeply emotional personal update with fans during the group’s concert in Tokyo on Friday (April 17), revealing that his maternal grandmother, who helped raise him, had passed away shortly after their arrival in Japan.
Speaking directly to the crowd at Tokyo Dome, the singer opened up about the loss while expressing gratitude for the support he received from his fellow members during a difficult time. “Honestly, this might be a bit of a heavy thing to share, but I really wanted to express how I’m feeling today,” he said, as translated from Korean. “Right after we arrived in Japan, I got the news that my maternal grandmother, the one who raised me from when I was little, had passed away.”
“I was in complete shock and honestly didn’t know what to feel,” the singer told ARMY in the crowd. “But being with the members, sharing a meal together and pouring myself into rehearsals helped ease that feeling more than I expected.”
He went on to reflect on his grandmother’s pride in both his personal journey and in BTS as a group. “My grandmother was always so proud, not just of me, but of all the members. She thought what we did was truly incredible,” he said. “So I’d like to think that if she were watching from above today, she would have absolutely loved every moment of it.”
j-hope concluded by thanking fans for their understanding and support, noting that their presence made the performance especially meaningful following his loss. The concert is part of BTS’s ongoing world tour in support of their latest album ‘ARIRANG,’ which has topped the Billboard 200 chart for multiple weeks. After opening shows in Goyang, South Korea, the group will continue with performances in Tokyo before heading to North America. The tour will also include stops across Latin America, Europe, Australia, and other regions, with its final shows scheduled for March next year.
On the same day, j-hope’s interview with Rolling Stone was released, where he reflected on his role in the group, saying, “I think that’s my role on the team. It just comes naturally. It feels weird to call it a ‘role.’ But all I can do is take it in stride and do what I can for the other members.”
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