TAIPEI (TVBS News) — CoCo Lee, whose decades-long career included dozens of successful albums, movies, and television shows, died Wednesday. She was 48.
Coco's sister Nancy Lee confirmed in a social media post that Coco died in the hospital on Wednesday after attempting suicide on Sunday and falling into a coma.
The Hong Kong-born American singer-songwriter suffered from depression over the years, according to her sister. And her condition had been getting worse recently.
Coco's passing also shocked the Western music industry, as she was one of the first Chinese-language singers to break into the music industry in the U.S., with fans across the globe.
After releasing four English Albums, she was invited to sing the theme song of "Crouching Tiger,
"I felt really excited because I would be the first Chinese singer to perform on the Oscars stage," she told a TVBS reporter in 2001.
In a 2013 interview with TVBS, Coco also shared how she almost gave up 'A Love Before Time' as she thought it might not match her album's concept. "I was going to give it up until my mom heard it. She said, 'Coco, no. You must sing this song,'" Coco said.
Coco was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to the United States when she was nine. She returned to Hong Kong at 18, participated in the TVB International Chinese New Talent Singing Championship, won the runner-up, and entered the entertainment industry.
1994 Coco released her first solo album in Taiwan, marking her official debut and the road to stardom.
In her nearly 30-year career, she has sung countless well-known songs. With her passing, her singing will stay in her fans' memories.
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