Coco Lee, a Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter who became popular for voicing Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s “Mulan,” has been confirmed dead by suicide.
Her sisters, Carol and Nancy said she attempted suicide at home on Sunday, 2 July, and was sent to a hospital, where she slipped into a coma and died on Wednesday, 5 July, despite attempts to save her life.
Coco suffered from depression for years, and her family said that while she sought professional help, her condition drastically deteriorated over the last few months and she ultimately took her own life.
In addition to her work with Disney, Coco performed an Oscar-nominated song, “A Love Before Time,” in the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” as part of a three-decade career as a singer.
The actress who died at the age of 48, was born in Hong Kong but attended middle school and high school in San Francisco where she was crowned 1991’s Miss Teen Chinatown.
She was the first Chinese singer to go big in America, with her song “Do You Want My Love” reaching No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Breakout chart way back in 1999.
Though Lee initially started off as a Mandopop singer, she later branched out to release albums in Cantonese and English over her nearly 30-year career. She was best known for her powerful voice and live performances.
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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.
In Lee’s most recent Instagram post, dated 31 December, 2022, she shared several pictures of herself, including tattoos of the words “love” and “faith” as well as a picture of what appears to be a drainage bag taped to her body.
“Love & Faith — my two favorite words that I carry strongly in my heart which I desperately needed to get through this incredibly difficult year,” she wrote in the caption.
“Life seemed unbearable at times but I adapted the attitude of a ‘female warrior’ to face them head on fearlessly,” the caption added.
In March, she posted about having to relearn how to walk after undergoing surgery for an old leg injury that was triggered after going overboard during a dance practice in October 2022.
“Successful surgery. Even though I’m in a lot of pain and I have to re-learn how to walk again, I know I can do it,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Yes I can and I will!”
Coco’s family is remembering her for working “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.”