Lim Hyung-joo to sing ‘Ave Maria’ at funeral Mass for TV legend Choi Bool-am

Popera tenor Lim Hyung-joo will pay his final respects to veteran actor Choi Bool-am by performing “Ave Maria” at the late actor’s funeral Mass.

According to a representative for Choi’s family on Saturday, Lim will sing during the funeral Mass scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday at Yeouido Catholic Church in Seoul. The Mass will be presided over by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung.

“Ave Maria” is one of Lim’s signature pieces.

Lim is said to have shared a particularly close relationship with Choi, whom he affectionately referred to as his “uncle by marriage.”

Following news of Choi’s death on Friday, Lim paid tribute to the late actor in a social media post.

“I never imagined that my visit to see him in the hospital a few months ago would turn out to be our final goodbye,” Lim wrote. “I am deeply grateful that he always cherished my singing, attended my solo concerts with Aunt Kim Min-ja and offered me words of encouragement and wisdom. I love you, Uncle.”

Lim also shared a photograph of himself with Choi, and recalled a conversation they had shared.

“I still remember him telling me to smile and say my final goodbye when my time comes to leave this world,” he wrote. “I will try to honor those words.”

Choi died at around 10 p.m. on Thursday while receiving inpatient treatment at a hospital in Gangseo District in western Seoul. He was 87.

His funeral is being held over five days as a Green Umbrella Children’s Foundation funeral, with the wake set up at Asan Medical Center’s funeral hall in Seoul. The funeral procession is scheduled for Monday.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.