HONG KONG, CHINA: Coco Lee who was placed in a coma following a suicide attempt on Sunday, July 2, died on July 5, Wednesday, at the age of 48. Her sisters Carol and Nancy Lee took to Facebook to announce the death of the Hong Kong-born singer.
"With great sadness, we are here to break the most devastating news: Coco had been suffering from depression for a few years but her condition deteriorated drastically over the last few months," stated the sisters and further added, "Although Coco sought professional help and did her best to fight depression, sadly that demon inside of her took the better of her."
How did Coco Lee die?
Lee who was born in 1975 in Hong Kong died following her depression-related suicide attempt. She moved to the US at the age of nine for middle and high school and later returned to Asia. The pop singer who gained worldwide attention had a successful career following the release of her albums in English and Cantonese.
For the Mandarin version of Disney's 'Mulan,' Lee voiced Fa Mulan and sang the Mandarin version of the movie's theme song 'Reflection' in 1998. She became the first Chinese Chanel brand ambassador in 2001 for the brand's Asian region. Her hit track which earned an Oscar nomination was the end-credit title song 'A Love Before Time' of the 2001 film 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. Lee who was initially a Mandopop singer became the first Chinese American to perform at the Oscar awards ceremony.
Lee worked hard to give Chinese singers entry into the global music scene
Lee made appearances on shows like 'Come Sing With Me' and 'Chinese Idol' and has also acted in several films. In their Facebook post, Lee's sister wrote that "2023 should have been the 30th anniversary of Coco's debut."
"In the past 29 years, in addition to bringing us endless joy and surprises with her singing and dancing, she has worked hard to open up the international music scene for Chinese singers in the international music scene and has been going all out to shine for the Chinese. We are proud of her," they wrote.
Lee married Canadian businessman Bruce Rockowitz in 2011. She had two stepdaughters through her marriage with Rockowitz who is the former CEO of Hong Kong supply chain company Li & Fung. Lee also leaves behind her mother and two sisters, according to New York Post.
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