Who Was Coco Lee? Everything About The Pop Singer Who Died By Suicide

Hong Kong-born American singer Coco Lee passed away at 48 following a suicide attempt. It was the singer’s elder sisters Nancy and Carol Lee who confirmed the news of her demise on social media. In the family statement, the duo highlighted how Coco was struggling with depression for several years. Over the weekend, the musician allegedly attempted suicide at home and was rushed to hospital upon discovery. She was declared to be in a coma until she passed away on Wednesday, June 5. Fans of the musician are devastated by the news of her demise.

Here’s everything that you need to know about Coco Lee.

Who was Coco Lee?

A popular Asian pop star, Coco Lee’s fame skyrocketed during the 1990s and early 2000s. Her 1996 debut project quickly piqued higher on music charts becoming one the best-selling albums of the year. Though Coco began her career as a Mandopop singer, she later began making music in Cantonese as well as English. Her first English album ‘No Other Way’ was dropped in 1999 and ‘Do You Want My Love’ remains to be one of her greatest singles. Not only in music, but Coco has appeared in three movies including No Tobacco and Master of Everything. Moreover, she has also voiced the character of the female warrior Mulan in Disney’s Mandarin version. Notably, Coco Lee featured as a judge on 2015’s Chinese version of Dancing with the Star and several other reality shows.

Notable achievements

‘A Love Before Time’ is one of her most critically acclaimed singles from the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The emotional number wasn’t only nominated in the Best Original Song category during the 2001 Academy Awards, but Coco also became the first Chinese musician to perform live during the Oscar ceremony. In 2002, she became the first Chinese brand ambassador for the luxury brand Chanel.

Coco Lee’s personal life

Born in Hong Kong, Coco later moved to the US where she completed middle and high school. It was in 2011 when she married the Canadian business tycoon Bruce Rockowitz. Their Jewish wedding ceremony was elevated with the performances of singers like Ne-Yo, Alicia Keys, and Bruno Mars. The couple shared two stepdaughters from her husband’s previous marriage.

Coco Lee’s death

“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,” stated Carol and Nancy Lee. Her sisters emphasized that they were proud of Coco’s achievements even though her time in the world wasn’t long enough.