Bruce Rockowitz and Coco Lee were married in 2011. Photo: Handout
It has been more than a month since Coco Lee's death and more than a week since her funeral but, fans of the Hong Kong diva is still reeling from her sudden death.
At the beloved singer's memorial service on July 31, her estranged husband Bruce Rockowitz was hounded by fans and media. When asked for a comment, he told Hong Kong media: “I loved Coco, my whole life.”
Unhappy fans were heard shouting back to him, “return Coco to us” and “heartless”.
At her funeral the next day, some furious Chinese fans confronted him at the crematorium accusing him as a “murderer”.
After the cremation ceremony, the 64-year-old told South China Morning Post that his relationship with Lee lasted for 20 years. He added that he had “100% nothing to do with her death”.
Now the Canadian businessman plans to turn to the Coroner’s Court to seek an inquest into the cause of Lee's death in a bid to dispel rumours, SCMP reported.
It has also come to light that Rockowitz – who has two children from a previous marriage – paid at least HK$8mil (RM4.7mil) to rent a penthouse at Four Seasons Place for Lee after she moved out of their house in October 2022.
The penthouse, located in the International Finance Centre building, has a roof terrace, a heated swimming pool and barbecue facilities. Monthly rent for the unit is reported to be HK$800,000 (RM468,000).
“There are rumours claiming that Rockowitz was living on (Lee’s) money, which is not true at all. He has never spent any of her money,” SCMP quoted an insider.
On July 10, Rockowitz was reported to have sought legal help to challenge Lee's decision to leave HK$150mil (RM87.4mil) in properties to her mother and two sisters, Carol and Nancy.
However on July 28, Rockowitz refuted the accusations against him – saying that such "malicious" and "defamatory" remarks have damaged the reputation and privacy of him and his family.
"Coco and I have maintained financial independence after marriage. I respect all arrangements Coco has made regarding her personal assets.
"I have never and will never involve myself in any matters relating to the distribution of Coco's estate," he said in a statement.
Lee died in a Hong Kong hospital on July 5 following a suicide attempt. She was 48.
In a statement released on Weibo, the singer's sister Nancy said Lee had been suffering from depression for several years.
