Coco Lee, the voice of “Mulan”, died after a suicide attempt
In 2001, Coco Lee became the first Chinese-American to perform at the Oscars with the Best Original Song nominee “A Love Before Time” from the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.
The singer had tried to take her own life last Sunday and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she remained in a coma until her death.
Hong Kong artist and composer Coco Lee, known for performing songs in movies such as “Mulan” or “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, died Wednesday at the age of 48 after a suicide attempt, her relatives said in a statement posted on Facebook.
They detailed that the singer had tried to take her own life last Sunday and had been rushed to a nearby hospital, where she remained in a coma until her death.
Lee, who voiced the main character of Fa in “Mulan” and sang the song “Reflection” in the Mandarin version of the film, had been suffering from “depression for a few years” and her condition had deteriorated “drastically” in recent months.
“Although Coco sought professional help and did everything she could to fight depression, unfortunately that demon inside her got the better of her,” her sisters said.
In 2001, Coco Lee became the first Chinese-American to perform at the Oscars with the Best Original Song nominee “A Love Before Time” from the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.
In addition, she was also the first Chanel brand ambassador of Chinese descent for the Asian region and became one of the top pop personalities in her native country.
“Coco is also known for having worked tirelessly to open up a new world for Chinese singers on the international music scene (…) We are proud of her!” her relatives added in the statement released Wednesday.
Hong Kong artist and composer Coco Lee, known for performing songs in movies such as “Mulan” or “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, died Wednesday at the age of 48 after a suicide attempt, her relatives said in a statement posted on Facebook.
They detailed that the singer had tried to take her own life last Sunday and had been rushed to a nearby hospital, where she remained in a coma until her death.
Lee, who voiced the main character of Fa in “Mulan” and sang the theme song “Reflection” in the Mandarin version of the film, had been suffering from “depression for a few years” and her condition had deteriorated “drastically” in recent months.
Lee voiced the title character of Fa in “Mulan” (1998) and sang the theme song “Reflection” in the Mandarin version of the film
“Although Coco sought professional help and did everything she could to fight depression, unfortunately that demon inside her got the better of her,” her sisters said.
In 2001, Coco Lee became the first Chinese American to perform at the Oscars with her Best Original Song nominee “A Love Before Time” from the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
In addition, she was also the first Chanel brand ambassador of Chinese descent for the Asian region and became one of the top pop personalities in her native country.
“Coco is also known for having worked tirelessly to open up a new world for Chinese singers on the international music scene (…) We are proud of her!” her relatives added in the statement released Wednesday.
Despite her Hong Kong origins, Lee moved to the United States at the age of 9 to attend elementary, junior high and high school, before embarking on a career spanning more than three decades in the pop genre that saw her emerge as the first Chinese singer signed to Sony Music.
In 1999, Lee debuted her first full-length English-language album, “Just No Other Way,” which included R&B-influenced hits such as “Do You Want My Love.”
From that album, “Before I Fall in Love” was chosen as the theme song for the Richard Gere and Julia Roberts romantic comedy “Runaway Bride.”
In his latest Instagram post, Lee shared photos of his tattoos that read “love” and “faith” scrawled on his arms.
“My 2 favorite words that I carry strongly in my heart and desperately needed to get me through this incredibly difficult year,” she wrote in the post.
“You are not alone, no matter how hard life gets, I am with you,” the singer wrote to her followers.
mandopop singer-songwriter Wang Leehom paid tribute to Lee in an Instagram post, describing her as the “biggest star” everyone wanted to work with.
“In the music industry, Coco Lee broke international barriers before any other Chinese singer,”
he wrote.
“Let’s remember her always, as a brave pioneer and an important music legend.”
The artist was also a judge on TV music competitions such as China Idol and appeared in as many as three films – Stanley Kwan’s “No Tobacco” (2002), Lee Xin’s “Master Of Everything” (2004) and He Jiong’s “Forever Young” (2015).
Specialists emphasize that suicide deaths never have a single trigger, but are the result of psychological, biological and social factors that are treatable.