Hong Kong-American singer Coco Lee dies by suicide at the age of 48

HONG KONG –

Warning: The article contains mentions of suicide. Reader discretion is advised.

Coco Lee, a Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter who had a very successful career in Asia, has died by suicide, her siblings said on Wednesday. She was 48.

The star had suffered from depression for several years, Lee’s older sisters Carol and Nancy Lee said in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram, with her condition deteriorating dramatically in recent months.

“Although CoCo sought professional help and did her best to fight depression, unfortunately that demon in her got the better of her,” the statement said.

Lee attempted suicide at home this weekend and she was rushed to a hospital, her sister said. They said she was in a coma and died on Wednesday.

Born in Hong Kong but later moving to the US where she attended middle and high school, Lee had a very successful career in Asia as a pop singer in the 1990s and 2000s, where she was known for her powerful voice and live performances. .

Initially a Mandopop singer, Lee left to release albums in Cantonese and English throughout her nearly 30-year career.

She was the voice of 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 Li & Fung. Although she had two stepdaughters from her marriage to Rockowitz, Lee had no children of her own.

“CoCo is also known to have worked tirelessly to open a new world for Chinese singers in the international music scene, and she did everything she could to shine for the Chinese,” her sisters write in their post.

“We are proud of her!”