During a BTS concert in Tokyo on Friday, April 17, j-hope shared a deeply personal and sad update with ARMY, the group's fanbase. He revealed that his maternal grandmother, who played a significant role in raising him and always expressed immense pride in his success with the boy band, had passed away.

Addressing thousands of supportive fans at the Tokyo Dome, the K-pop star began, “Honestly, this might be a bit of a heavy thing to share, but I really wanted to express how I’m feeling today.” He continued, “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.”

j-hope described his initial reaction: “I was in complete shock and honestly didn’t know what to feel.” He found solace and strength through his bandmates, stating, “being with the members, sharing a meal together and pouring myself into rehearsals helped ease that feeling more than I expected.” He also honored his grandmother's memory, believing she would have cherished the moment: “My grandmother was always so proud — not just of me, but of all the members. She thought what we did was truly incredible. So I’d like to think that if she was watching from up above today, she would have absolutely loved every moment of it.” He concluded by expressing gratitude to the crowd for making his first show after her passing as special as possible.

BTS is currently on a global tour supporting their new album, ARIRANG, which recently secured its third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The septet kicked off their tour with three performances in Goyang, South Korea, before moving to Tokyo for two shows at the Tokyo Dome. Following their Japan dates, they are set to embark on a North American leg. The extensive tour schedule will also include stops in Latin America, Europe, Australia, and various other parts of Asia, concluding in March of next year.

On the same day as the first Japan concert, j-hope’s one-on-one interview with Rolling Stone was released. During the conversation, he discussed his role within the group, stating, “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.” Additional reporting for this story was provided by Billboard Korea.