Hong Kong — Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter Coco Lee, who had a hugely successful career in Asia, has died by suicide, her siblings said on Wednesday. She was 48 years old.
Lee’s older sisters, Carole and Nancy Lee, said in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram that the star had been suffering from depression for several years, which had worsened over the past few months.
“Although Coco sought professional help and did her best to fight the depression, sadly her inner devil got the better of her,” the statement said.
His sister said Lee attempted suicide at home over the weekend and was taken to the hospital. He told that she was in a coma and died on Wednesday.
Born in Hong Kong, Feren Lee later moved to the United States where she attended middle and high school in San Francisco. She became a singer after winning first runner-up in an annual singing competition organized by broadcaster TVB in Hong Kong, and released her debut album in 1994 at the age of 19.
Although Lee initially started out as a Mandopop singer, she later began releasing albums in Cantonese and English in her nearly 30-year career. She was known for her powerful voice and lively performances.
Her sisters said in their post, “Coco is also known for working tirelessly to open up a new world for Chinese singers on the international music scene, and she was doing everything she could to shine for the Chinese. ” “We are proud of him!”
She was also the first Chinese singer to enter the US market, and her English song “Do You Want My Love” peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Breakouts chart in December 1999.
Li voiced heroine Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s “Mulan” and also sang the Mandarin version of the film’s theme song “Reflection”.
In 2011, Lee married Bruce Rockowitz, a Canadian businessman who is the former CEO of Hong Kong supply chain company Lee. and fungus. While she had two stepdaughters from her marriage to Rockowitz, Lee had no children of her own.
In Lee’s most recent Instagram post on December 31, 2022, he shared several photos of himself, including a tattoo of the words “love” and “faith” as well as a picture of a drainage bag taped to his body. ,
“Dear And faith – two of my favorite words that I hold firmly in my heart that I desperately needed to get me through this incredibly difficult year,” she wrote in the caption.
The caption read, “Sometimes life seemed unbearable but I fearlessly adopted the attitude of a ‘woman warrior’ to face them.”
In March, she posted about learning to walk again after undergoing surgery for an old leg injury, which was caused in October 2022 by falling overboard during a dance practice.
“Successful surgery. Even though I’m in a lot of pain and have to learn to walk again, I know I can,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Yes, I can and I will!”
Mandopop singer-songwriter Wang Leehom paid tribute to Lee in an Instagram post, describing him as “the biggest star everyone wanted to work with”.
He wrote, “Coco Li broke down international barriers in the music industry before any other Chinese singer.” “Let’s always remember him as a brave pioneer and an important musical legend.”
Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai posted a message on Facebook that read, “RIP, your radiant smile will always be remembered.”