IU, recently, paid tribute to her good friend Sulli at her Love Poem concert when she performed her 2015 hit song Red Queen. The singer and actress, reportedly, changed the lyrics of Zion.T's rap with a meaningful message for her departed friend.
In the new lyrics, IU incorporated a send-off in the song and bid farewell to Sulli.She used the phrases: "Will she smile at the world one more time? Hey, don't bother queen no more, Please don't wake queen up no more, Red queen's going back go on, My queen keep it up go on." This part seemed to symbolize Sulli being in a different place and being free to rule her new kingdom.
In a touching final line, IU said: "I give her lullaby bye bye bye, Bye, my majesty," a fitting goodbye to an individual who never bent to the entertainment industry's standards, All Kpop reported.
It can be recalled that IU was inspired by Sulli's self-portrait when she worked on Red Queen in 2015. The song was originally a collaboration with Zion.T. However, for her concert in Gwangju on Nov. 2 and 3, IU picked the right moment to share her sorrow with her fans.
Sulli shocked the entire Korean entertainment industry when she was found dead by her manager in her apartment last Oct. 14. While police did not directly rule suicide as the cause of death, it was believed by many that Sulli finally gave up after years of suffering from online bullying. She was only 25 years old at the time of her death.
IU was known as one of Sulli's closest friends. After news broke of Sulli's passing, IU, reportedly, halted all engagements and stayed with Sulli's family to lend her support. Even as the singer received plenty of hate comments from netizens who criticized her for not posting anything about Sulli, IU remained unfazed by the negative comments and postponed the release of her Love Poem album and concert tour to properly mourn her friend, Koreaboo reported.
IU was one of the last people to work with Sulli on the successful drama Hotel del Luna. According to reports, IU personally asked Sulli to appear in a cameo for the drama where she even dyed her blonde hair for the role. During the shoot, Sulli gifted IU and the crew with a coffee truck and happily hung out with her friend on set. The cameo was well received by fans of the show.
