Former ‘Dragon 5’ boyband singer found dead in Chao Phraya River

Former pop singer Thaman Taypun, known to his fans as ‘Tae’, a former member of the 2000s boyband ‘Dragon 5’, was found dead in the Chao Phraya River this afternoon, after being missing from his residence since early Thursday morning.

The 46-year-old was last seen leaving his home in the Golden Town 2 Pinklao-Charan housing estate in Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi province at around 4am on Aug 6. Dressed in cycling gear and carrying a backpack, he left without a helmet, mobile phone or wallet.

His girlfriend filed a missing person report with Bang Kruai police on Thursday evening after he failed to return. Former bandmates, including Andy Khemphimook, Yuan Kawinkit and Tao Adisorn, shared urgent appeals on social media and coordinated with traffic radio station JS100 and local news pages to trace his whereabouts.

Family members stated there had been no argument prior to his disappearance and emphasised that he did not show signs of depression. He was an avid cyclist who frequently rode around the Pinklao, Charan Sanitwong and Nonthaburi areas to stay fit.

At around 2.30pm today, officers from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department spotted a body floating in the Chao Phraya River near the Rama VII Bridge.

Family members preliminarily identified the body as that of Thaman, though police are awaiting official forensic results and an autopsy to confirm this and cause of death.

Thaman shot to fame in 2000 as one of the five members of ‘Dragon 5’, a popular pop-dance boyband under the GMM Grammy label.

The group enjoyed massive success with hits such as ‘Non-Stop’, ‘Yut’, ‘Thammai’ and ‘Mai Yak Hai Ther Roo’. After stepping back from the entertainment industry, to run a private business, he maintained close ties with his former bandmates.