Pop diva Coco Lee dies aged 48, says family
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Hong Kong-born American singer Coco Lee had been battling with depression for years. PHOTO: COCO LEE/FACEBOOK
Coco Lee (centre) performing at a special event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to mainland China, on July 10, 2022. PHOTO: COCO LEE/FACEBOOK
Coco Lee performing during the Chengdu stop of her You&I world tour, on July 28, 2019. PHOTO: COCO LEE/FACEBOOK
Chin Hui Shan
July 5, 2023
Hong Kong-born American singer Coco Lee died at the age of 48 on Wednesday, her family announced.
In a social media post, her sisters Nancy and Carol said that the popular singer — who had been battling with depression — attempted suicide on Sunday.
“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.
“Although CoCo sought professional help and did her best to fight depression, sadly that demon inside of her took the better of her.
On 2 July, she committed suicide at home and was sent to the hospital. Despite the best efforts of the hospital team to rescue and treat her from her coma, she finally passed away on 5 July, 2023,” said her sister.
Lee made her debut in 1994. She was crowned the winner of the fourth season of Chinese reality show, I Am a Singer, in 2016. She is also well-known for performing the theme songs of Disney animated film Mulan and Lee Ang’s Wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Lee’s sisters said she has “worked tirelessly to open up a new world for Chinese singers in the international music scene, and she went all out to shine for the Chinese”.
“We hope that everyone will not only miss Coco, but also share her bright smile, treat everyone with sincerity, kindness and love, and continue her wish to let everyone around feel her love and happiness,” they said.
Lee had previously said on her Instagram account that her goal in 2023 was to share her life story and how she kept a positive attitude despite facing major obstacles.
In her New Year’s Eve post in 2022, she wrote: “Love and faith – my two favourite words that I carry strongly in my heart which I desperately needed to get through this incredibly difficult year.”
The post was accompanied by 9 photos, including a tattoo of the word “love” on her left wrist and a photo of herself with what appeared to be a drainage bag on her body.
“Life seemed unbearable at times, but I adapted the attitude of a ‘female warrior’ to face them head on fearlessly,” she wrote.
This is a developing story.
