Noughties pop star Coco Lee dead at 48

Pop singer Coco Lee, who had an Australian hit single back in 2000, has died by suicide, her family have confirmed.

Singer CoCo Lee has died after a suicide attempt, her sisters confirmed in a Facebook post on Wednesday. She was 48.

Her elder sisters wrote that the star attempted suicide at home on Sunday, July 2, and was rushed to the hospital. The suicide attempt put her in a coma until her death on Wednesday.

“CoCo had been suffering from depression for a few years but her condition deteriorated drastically over the last few months,” the Facebook post stated.

Singer CoCo Lee has died.

Lee in Sydney in 2000. Picture: Michael Perini.

“Although, CoCo sought professional help and did her best to fight depression, sadly that demon inside of her took the better of her.”

The Hong Kong-born singer-songwriter moved to the US when she was nine years old and eventually returned to her home state where she launched her music career.

Lee’s breakout role came in 1998 when she sang the Mandarin version of the theme song Reflection from the Disney classic Mulan and voiced the titular role for the Chinese version of the movie.

Her 2000 breakout single Do You Want My Love was a gold-selling, top 20 hit in Australia:

Follow-up single Wherever You Go also made the Australian charts.

She also made history as the first Chinese American to perform at the Oscars, singing the track A Love Before Time from Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and as the first Chanel brand ambassador of Chinese descent for the Asia region.

Lee remained an active high-profile star in mainland China up until her death and is remembered as a talented and stylish pop icon of the early aughts.

Lee crossed over to the Western pop market in her early 20s. Picture: Nathan Richter

In recent years, Lee served as a judge on various singing competitions and reality shows.

“CoCo is also known to have worked 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,” her sisters said in their post. “We are proud of her!”

Along with her sisters, Lee leaves behind her mother; husband Bruce Rockowitz, a Canadian businessman who is the former CEO of Hong Kong supply chain company Li & Fung; and two stepdaughters.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as Noughties pop star Coco Lee dead at 48