Coco Lee, a Hong Kong-born singer who had a highly successful career in Asia, has died by suicide. Photo: AP
Hong Kong-American pop diva Coco Lee died on Wednesday (July 5) after attempting to take her own life on July 2. She was 48.
In a statement on Facebook last night, Lee’s sisters, Carol and Nancy, said that the singer attempted suicide after a long-term struggle with depression.
The singer, who was staying with her sister at the time of the incident, was rushed to Queen Mary Hospital for treatment.
Not giving up
In an interview with Sing Tao Daily, Nancy revealed that her mum had refused to have Lee taken off life support as she didn’t want to give up on her.
“My mother is a good traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. Even though the doctors have declared Coco to be brain-dead, (my mum) refused to give up and tried acupuncture on her head. It’s so heartbreaking to see a white-haired person sending off a black-haired person,” she said.
Nancy added that when her family arrived at the hospital, they were told that there was no chance of saving Lee and that it was “futile” to continue.
“My heart shattered. I couldn’t believe it. Every time I entered the ward, I would keep an eye out on my sister’s heartbeat and oxygen monitors.
“When (the machines) beeped, I got shocked because the doctors said she would pass away at any moment and told us to prepare for the worst,” she said.
During the interview, Nancy shared that the greatest pain from this whole ordeal was seeing her mum in distress.
"I told (the doctors) that my mum lost her husband before she turned 40, and she had a hard time raising us.
“She is 86 now. Please give my mum and my sister Coco a chance. Even if there’s a slim chance, please help,” she told Sing Tao Daily.
Despite the medical team’s efforts to resuscitate Lee, the singer remained in a comatose and later died.
Major leg surgery
On July 2, a 40-second audio clip was circulated by the singer's fans on social media. In it, Lee thanked her fans for their unconditional support and advised them to take care of their health.
Earlier in January, Lee sparked concern after sharing photos of herself with a drainage bag, saying that she weighed 42.3kg.
In March, Lee had to learn to walk again after undergoing a major leg surgery. She previously disclosed that she was born with a defect in her left leg.
Lee released her first solo album, Love From Now On, in 1994 and is known to voice Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney's Mulan (1998).
She sang A Love Before Time from Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, when the track was nominated for Best Original Song.
In 2011, Lee married Canadian businessman Bruce Rockowitz, who has two daughters from his previous marriage. There were rumours the couple had split but the singer did not address the rumours directly.
