Singer CoCo Lee didn’t always dream of being a singer. The Hong Kong native grew up in the United States, and it wasn’t until she entered a singing competition as a teenager that she realized singing was what she wanted for her future.
Singing brought Lee a lot of success and fame. Most notably, she sang the song “A Love Before Time” which was featured in the hit movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” The song was nominated for an Oscar, and she was invited to sing at the Oscars making her the very first Asian singer to perform at the Oscars. Another notable role for Lee was as the voice of Mulan in the Mandarin version Disney’s animated film “Mulan.”
Unfortunately, even though Lee had career success and seemed bubbly in public, she also suffered from depression for several years. Now, her sisters are sharing the tragic news that Lee has died by suicide at the age of 48 years old.
On Instagram, Lee’s sisters Carol and Nancy shared a series of photos of Lee set to music. In the caption, they wrote a lengthy post about Lee’s death and their wishes. They wrote, “With great sadness, we are here break the most devastating news: CoCo had been suffering from depression for a few years but her condition deteriorated drastically over the last few months. Although, CoCo sought professional help and did her best to fight depression, sadly that demon inside of her took the better of her.”
On July 2, 2023, Lee tried to take her own life. She was at her home at the time. She was rushed to the hospital where doctors tried to save her, but as her sisters wrote, “Despite the best efforts of the hospital team to rescue and treat her from her coma, she finally passed away on 5 July, 2023.”
Lee’s sisters explained that they are “proud” of Lee for all the success she achieved during her singing career. They also described themselves as “grateful and honored” to have Lee as their sister. Then they thanked the medical staff at the hospital who tried to save Lee’s life, and they asked for “time & privacy in healing” especially as they try to console their mother.
Back in 2013, Lee sat down for an interview with Bloomberg Television’s Susan Li. During the interview, she talked about her career, why she almost didn’t sing the song “A Love Before Time,” and what it was like to perform at the Oscars. Watch the video below to learn more about Lee’s life and singing career.
Lee is survived by her sisters, mother, and her husband, Bruce Rockowitz. The pair was married for almost 12 years, but they had been separated for almost a year prior to Lee’s death. Upon learning of her death, Rockowitz described her as, “A mentor, loving wife, beloved friend and dear family member. Her warmth and sincerity brought sunshine to everyone around her. She will be deeply missed by the many lives she touched. Her influence and light will go on forever.”
Rest in peace.
