As a 90s kid, I grew up listening to Mandopop before getting hooked on K-pop. There were a few singers from that era who I absolutely adored, such as Jolin Tsai, S.H.E., and Coco Lee. Considering how I found these female artistes as the OGs who exuded ultimate girl power, I was devastated to learn that Coco Lee took her own life.
After all, Coco was a legendary Hong Kong-American singer, who paved the way for Asian singers to break into the international scene. Read on to find out more facts about this iconic star to remember her legacy.
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Born Ferren Lee in Hong Kong in 1975, Coco had two elder sisters, Carol and Nancy. The latter was originally an actress, and became Coco’s manager when she debuted as a singer later.
Her mother was from Hong Kong and her father was from Malaysia, who had unfortunately passed away before she was born.
Saying goodbye to Hong Kong when she was 9 years old, Coco and her family moved to the U.S., where she completed her middle and high school education in California. She picked up English as a third language there, explaining her proficiency.
After graduating from high school, Coco enrolled at the University of California, Irvine.
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They say timing is everything, and it couldn’t be more accurate for Coco.
When Coco was visiting her sister who was participating in a beauty pageant in Hong Kong in 1992, she also took part in the 12th Annual New Talent Singing Awards, where she sang Whitney Houston’s Run To You. Not only did she finish the competition as the first runner-up, but she also impressed agency Capital Artists, and was offered a recording contract.
Since she was a freshman at university at that point in time, she tried to juggle schoolwork and her singing career. Eventually, she gave up pursuing a degree and dropped out of university, before making her debut as a pop singer in 1993.
Get this ‒ be it a decade ago or now, it isn’t easy for any singer to sell more than a million copies of their album. So you could only imagine just how popular Coco was when she sold more than 1 million copies of her Chinese album Di Da Di within 3 months in 1989.
Chances are, you might find the title track a bop when you check out her music video on YouTube.
With Coco’s growing popularity, she was cast to voice Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s Mulan in 1998. Apart from lending her voice as Mulan, she also sang the OST of the animation film.
Her participation in Mulan boosted her fame, and allowed her to achieve global success.
Coco’s breakthrough was no doubt when she sang “A Love Before Time”, the OST for the widely-acclaimed movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000. Coupled with the fact that the film made a significant impact in Hollywood, Coco was once again highlighted by the media for her solidified reputation as an Asian in Western showbiz. A major slay.
In 2016, Coco also participated in the OST for the sequel to the movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny.
Thanks to the positive reception of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Coco was invited to perform A Love Before Time at the Oscars in 2001. Her performance made her the first Chinese-American to ever perform on the prestigious stage.
During her performance, she also showcased Chinese culture through her choice of costume ‒ a red cheongsam ‒ and impressed the audience with her stunning vocals.
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Coco had many firsts, and another of her accomplishments included being the first Chinese regional ambassador for luxury brand Chanel. However, when the announcement was made, Coco faced backlash from Chinese fans of Chanel because they thought that her sexy image did not align with the elegant and exquisite concept of the luxury brand.
Fun fact: Coco was an admirer of Coco Chanel, and her sister suggested she use it as her stage name.
Performing on stage and touring the world as a successful artiste was something Coco had never expected. In fact, she had plans to follow in the footsteps of her mother and become a doctor by enrolling in university as a pre-med student.
Well, as it turned out, she dropped out of school to pursue her singing career, which eventually made her one of the biggest singers in the 2000s.
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During the peak of Coco’s singing career in 2003, she began dating Bruce Rockowitz, a Boston-born and Hong Kong-based businessman. After 8 years of dating, they tied the knot in an extravagant two-day wedding in 2011.
Despite the initial bliss, it was reported that Bruce allegedly had an affair, and had been separated from Coco for more than two years prior to her passing.
Many times in life, things don’t go the way we imagine. Coco dreamed of having two kids with Bruce, but the couple encountered trouble conceiving.
Hoping to fulfil her dream, Coco sought help from professionals and went through not one, but nine rounds of IVF. However, despite her efforts to get pregnant, her attempts were unsuccessful.
While Coco may have been a busy artiste who frequently travelled around the world for her schedules, she had a soft spot for her furbabies, Tuli and Machi. The former was her golden retriever, and the latter was her fluffy bunny.
In contrast to her happy-go-lucky image, Coco had actually been struggling with issues with her left leg for a long time. In February 2023, she revealed through a Weibo post that she was born with a defect in her left leg, and underwent a botched surgery when she was two years old.
Since the issue hadn’t been properly fixed, Coco had heavily relied on her right leg for support. Throughout this time, she concealed the excruciating pain, particularly after stage performances, and put up a brave front.
Earlier this year, Coco made the decision to correct the problem by undergoing another surgery. Fortunately, the surgery went well, but Coco had to relearn how to walk.
Throughout her years in showbiz, Coco had worked with countless artistes and built a close friendship with many of them. One of them is our Singapore pride, JJ Lin.
Coco dedicated several Instagram posts to JJ Lin, expressing her admiration for his unique voice. They even performed a duet together, singing the popular OST “A Love Before Time”.
Offstage, the two close friends were noted for attending the US Open in 2014, sitting beside each other.
In 2016, Coco participated in the 4th season of I Am a Singer in China, competing against other renowned singers like Jeff Chang and Hwang Chiyeol. Against all odds, she emerged as the winner, and later returned as a guest for the 5th and 6th instalments of the survival show.
The passing of Coco Lee has certainly left fans and friends of Coco Lee in shock, but deep down in our hearts, we know that she will always be a star and inspiration to many. If you know anyone who might be suffering from depression or in need of a listening ear, reach out to them or direct them to Samaritans of Singapore by calling the hotline 1-767.
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