Hong Kong-born Singer Coco Lee Dies By Suicide At Age 48

FILE - Hong Kong born U.S. singer CoCo Lee poses on the red carpet at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Billy Dai, File)

HONG KONG (AP) — Coco Lee, a Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter who had a highly successful career in Asia, has died by suicide, her siblings said Wednesday. She was 48.

The star had been suffering from depression for several years, Lee’s elder sisters Carol and Nancy Lee said in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram, with her condition deteriorating drastically over the last few months.

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FILE – Hong Kong singer Coco Lee, center performs during the grand variety show as part of the ceremony on the 15th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong, in Hong Kong Saturday, June 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

“Although, CoCo sought professional help and did her best to fight depression, sadly that demon inside of her took the better of her,” the statement read.

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

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FILE- Taiwanese-American singer Coco Lee poses for photos during the pink carpet ahead of the Victoria’s Secret fashion show at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China, Monday, Nov. 20, 2017.   (AP Photo, File)

Lee, who was born in Hong Kong but later moved to the U.S. where she attended middle and high school, had a highly successful career in Asia as a pop singer in the 1990s and 2000s, where she was known for her powerful voice and live performances.

Lee, who was initially a Mandopop singer, branched out to release albums in Cantonese and English over her nearly 30-year career.

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FILE – Hong Kong-born American singer CoCo Lee performing in Beijing, China, Monday, Oct 6, 2003.   (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

She was the voice of heroine Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s Mulan, and also sung the Mandarin version of the movie’s theme song Reflection.

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In 2011, Lee married Bruce Rockowitz, a Canadian businessman who is the former CEO of Hong Kong supply chain company Li & Fung. While she had two stepdaughters from her marriage with Rockowitz, Lee didn’t have children of her own.

“CoCo is also known to have 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,” her sisters said in their post.

“We are proud of her!”

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FILE – Hong Kong’s pop diva Coco Lee and her husband, Bruce Rockowitz, president of Li & Fung Ltd, speak to media during their wedding banquet at Shaw Studio in Hong Kong Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. Coco Lee, a Hong Kong-born singer who had a highly successful career in Asia, died on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. She was 48. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)