Coco Lee Man (李玟), a Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter who had a highly successful career in Asia, has died at the age of 48 after committing suicide at home, her siblings said on Wednesday.
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.
Photo: AP
“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.
Photo: AP
Lee attempted suicide at home over the weekend and she was rushed to a hospital, her sister said.
She remained in a coma in Queen Mary Hospital and passed away on Wednesday.
Photo: AP
It was supposed to be the 30th anniversary of CoCo’s singing career this year.
Lee, who was born in Hong Kong but later moved to the US 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.
Coco broke into the music industry in 1994, leading to the release of over 15 albums and garnering tens of millions in sales.
Her single, Do You Want My Love appeared on the US Billboard charts at number four in December 1999.
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.
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 did not 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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