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Coco Lee Age, Death, Husband, Family, Biography & More

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Death Cause: Suicide
Age: 48 Years
Husband: Bruce Rockowitz

Coco Lee

Bio/Wiki
Full nameFerren Coco Lee [1]DailyO
Profession(s)• Singer
• Actress
• Record Producer
• Dancer
• Songwriter
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 168 cm
in meters- 1.68 m
in feet & inches- 5’ 6”
Weight (approx.)in kilograms- 42.3 kg
in pounds- lbs
Coco Lee shared a photo on Instagram revealing her weight
Eye ColourBrown
Hair ColourBrown
Career
DebutSinger (Cantonese Album): Red Hot Hits ’93 Autumn Edition (1993)
Singer (Mandarin Album): Love from Now On (1994)
Singer (English Album): Brave Enough to Love (1995)
Poster of the 1995 album 'Brave Enough to Love'
Last Album'CoCo Lee You & I: 25th Anniversary Album' (2019)
Poster of the 2019 album 'CoCo Lee You & I - 25th Anniversary Album'
Awards1998: International Viewer’s Choice Award for the song ‘Di Da Di’ at the MTV Video Music Awards China
2000: Best Mandarin Female Singer Award at the Golden Melody Award
2001: Best Original Film Song Award for the song ‘Moonlight Lovers’ at the Hong Kong Film Awards
2013: Best Chinese Female Artist Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards
2014: Best Female Singer Award at the Top Chinese Music Awards
2016: Best Female Singer Award at the China Music Awards
2019: Most Influential Female Artist Award at the China Music Awards
Coco Lee at the China Music Awards
Personal Life
Date of Birth17 January 1975 (Friday)
BirthplaceBritish Hong Kong (now Hong Kong)
Date of Death5 July 2023
Place of DeathQueen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
Age (at the time of death)48 Years
Death CauseSuicide [2]Fox News
Zodiac signCapricorn
SignatureAutograph of Coco Lee on her music CD
NationalityChinese
HometownSan Francisco
School• Presidio Middle School, San Francisco
• Raoul Wallenberg Traditional High School, San Francisco
College/UniversityUniversity of California, Irvin
Food HabitNon-Vegetarian
Coco Lee's Instagram post about eating Reef fish
Tattoo(s)On her left arm: Word ‘Love’ with a heart
Coco Lee's tattoo on her left arm
On her right arm: Word ‘Peace’ with a star
Coco Lee's tattoo on her right arm
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)Married
Affairs/BoyfriendsBruce Rockowitz
Marriage Date27 October 2011
A wedding day image of Coco Lee and Bruce Rockowitz
Family
Husband/SpouseBruce Rockowitz (a Hong Kong-based Canadian businessman)
Coco Lee with Bruce Rockowitz
ChildrenSon- None
Step-Daughter(s)- 2
• Rachel Rockowitz (from Bruce Rockowitz's previous marriage)
Coco Lee with Rachel Rockowitz
• Sarah Rockowitz (from Bruce Rockowitz's previous marriage)
Coco Lee with Sarah Rockowitz
ParentsFather- Name Not Known
Mother- Name Not Known (surgeon)
Coco Lee with her mother
SiblingsBrother- None
Sister- 2
• Nancy Lee (Coco Lee's manager)
Coco Lee with her mother
• Carol Lee
Coco Lee with her mother and Carol Lee
Favourites
Singer(s)Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Madonna
Song‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ by Micahel Jackson

Coco Lee

Some Lesser Known Facts About Coco Lee

  • Coco Lee was a Hong Kong-born American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress, who made history as the first Asian artist to perform at the Oscars, and she also became the first Chinese brand ambassador for the prestigious luxury brand Chanel. In July 2023, she attempted suicide and died at the age of 48.
  • She was the first Mandopop artist to make her way into the American music industry.
  • When she was nine years old, she moved with her family from Hong Kong to San Francisco.
  • Coco’s father belonged to a Malaysian family, and her mother belonged to a Hong Kong Cantonese family. Her father died before she was born. [3]CBC
  • As a child, she would sing at home. Her sister, Nancy, and mother, impressed by her singing, encouraged her to consider it as a career.

    Coco Lee at the age of 12 with her elder sisters

    Coco Lee at the age of 12 with her elder sisters

  • During her middle school years, she participated in the Miss Junior Chinatown competition and won the crown. She was also selected as the class president during her high school days.
  • Before venturing into singing, she wanted to become a doctor.
  • In 1992, she took part in the 12th Annual New Talent Search competition and performed Whitney Houston’s song ‘Run to You,’ securing the first runner-up position in the competition. The following day, Capital Artists, a record label based in Hong Kong, approached her and offered her to sign a recording contract.
  • While attending university, she attempted to juggle her singing career with her studies. However, after completing her freshman year, she made the decision to drop out of college to fully dedicate herself to her singing career.
  • In November 1994, she featured in a Cantonese compilation album called ‘Statement of Love, Duet Songs.’ In 1997, she released a full studio album in Cantonese titled ‘Be Careful Next Time.’
  • In 1996, she signed a record deal with Sony Music Entertainment and unveiled her Mandarin album ‘CoCo Lee’ on 14 June 1996. This album went on to become the top-selling album in Asia for the year 1996.
  • In 1998, she released her Mandarin album ‘Di Da Di,’ which sold approximately one million copies within just three months of its release.

    Poster of the 1998 album 'Di Da Di' by Coco Lee

    Poster of the 1998 album ‘Di Da Di’ by Coco Lee

  • In March 2005, she released her second English album under Sony BMG titled ‘Exposed,’ which was banned in Mainland China for allegedly having sexy lyrics in some of the songs.
  • The song ‘Colors’ from her 1998 Mandarin album ‘Sunny Day’ was chosen as the opening song for the Football World Cup, and the song ‘The Answer’ from the same album was featured in the Hong Kong Cantonese-language romantic drama film ‘Bishonen.’
  • In 1998, Walt Disney Pictures offered her to sing the theme song ‘Reflection’ and voice the lead character Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of the animated film Mulan.
  • In August 1998, she held a concert in Taiwan, which was attended by over 50 thousand fans. This concert marked a significant milestone as it became the largest concert in Taiwan with such a massive audience since Michael Jackson‘s concert.

    Coco Lee with Michael Jackson

    Coco Lee with Michael Jackson

  • In 1999, she performed at Michael Jackson’s charity concert ‘Michael Jackson & Friends’ held in Seoul.
  • In 1999, her song ‘Before I Fall in Love’ was featured on the soundtrack of the Hollywood film ‘Runaway Bride’ starring Julia Roberts.
  • She collaborated with many musicians including Wang Leehom, Stefanie Sun, and Elva Hsiao and released two charity songs titled ‘We Meet the Future’ and ‘Hand in Hand’ to help patients of SARS disease.
  • In 2001, she recorded the song ‘A Love Before Time’ for the Chinese martial arts film ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.’ Her notable performance of this song at the 73rd Academy Awards made her the first Chinese-American artist to achieve such an honour.

    Coco Lee performing at the Oscars 2001

    Coco Lee performing at the Oscars in 2001

  • She had recorded a song against tobacco consumption titled ‘From the Beginning ’til the End’ featuring the Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung.
  • In 2003, she recorded an anti-racism song with Park Jin-young, a South Korean singer, titled ‘A Dream of One.’
  • In 2003, she presented and performed with the Jamaican singer Shaggy at the MTV Asia Awards held in Singapore.
  • In 2004, as the Youth AIDS ambassador, she travelled to Bangkok to attend the global AIDS conference. During the event, she represented Asian artists and actively engaged with various youth groups to discuss how she could educate them about AIDS and its prevention.
  • She appeared as Tang Luhua in the 2004 Chinese comedy film ‘Master Of Everything.’

    Poster of the 2004 film 'Master Of Everything'

    Poster of the 2004 film ‘Master Of Everything’

  • In 2008, she performed the song ‘Forever Friends’ alongside Sun Nan at the Olympics.
  • In 2010, she released the song ‘BYOB’ (Bring Your Own Bag) for promoting the reusing and recycling of shopping bags to help preserve the environment.
  • In 2010, she recorded a song titled ‘Smile Shanghai’ featuring various Asian musicians for the Shanghai World Expo 2010.
  • In 2011, Coco Lee and Bruce Rockowitz had a star-studded Jewish wedding ceremony. Many famous international artists such as  Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, and Ne-Yo performed at her wedding.

    Alicia Keys singing at Coco and Bruce's wedding

    Alicia Keys singing at Coco and Bruce’s wedding

  • To celebrate her wedding, she released both the English and Chinese versions of the song ‘I Just Wanna Marry You’ on 11 October 2011.
  • On 17 December 2011, she gave a performance at the ‘Booey Lehoo Concert’ held in Beijing. During the concert, she performed alongside renowned artists such as will.i.am and apl.de.ap from the American band ‘The Black Eyed Peas,’ John Legend, and Shunza.

    Coco Lee performing with the members of the band 'The Black Eyed Peas'

    Coco Lee performing with the members of the band ‘The Black Eyed Peas’

  • On 9 February 2012, she gave a performance at the ‘I AM WILL/I AM ANGEL Benefit Concert’ held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. During the event, she shared the stage with will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo from The Black Eyed Peas.
  • In 2015, she worked in the Chinese coming-of-age film ‘Forever Young’ in which she was featured in a cameo role as Teacher Han.
  • She has judged many Chinese reality TV shows such as ‘Chinese Idol’ (2013), ‘Dancing With the Stars China’ (2015), ‘Super Idol’ (2015), and ‘World’s Got Talent’ (2019).

  • There were many famous musicians who inspired her and with whom she desired to collaborate with include Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga.
  • In 2016, she performed, alongside famous American artists Usher and Charlie XCX, at the first ‘Fashion Rocks’ event in Asia held in Shanghai.

    Coco Lee with Usher (left to Coco) and Charlie XCX (right to Coco) at Fashion Rocks

    Coco Lee with Usher (left to Coco) and Charlie XCX (right to Coco) at Fashion Rocks

  • She did brand promotions for various luxury beauty and clothing brands including Estée Lauder, Ralph Lauren, Max Mara, and La Mer.
  • She was appointed as the spokesperson for the Pink Revolution campaign by the Cancer Fund, a cancer charity organization based in Hong Kong.

    Coco Lee at an event of Cancer Fund's Pink Revolution

    Coco Lee at an event of Cancer Fund’s Pink Revolution

  • In February 2016, she shared that she lost her voice due to acute bronchitis and suffered severe throat conditions. [4]Global Times
  • In 2016, she was featured on the cover of #legend magazine.

    Coco Lee on the cover of #Legend magazine

    Coco Lee on the cover of #Legend magazine

  • She had a keen interest in fashion and enjoyed reading fashion magazines and watching fashion shows to stay updated with the latest trends in the fashion industry.
  • In 2019, she appeared on the cover of Chic magazine.
  • She was a fitness enthusiast and often shared her fitness routine on social media.
  • Being an animal lover, she was the owner of a rabbit, Machi, and a dog, Bruce.

    Coco Lee with her dog Bruce

    Coco Lee with her dog Bruce

  • In January 2023, Coco Lee went through a major leg surgery. [5]The Sun
  • On 2 July 2023, she committed suicide at her house and fell into a coma. Later, she was taken to Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, where she died in a coma at the age of 48 on 5 July 2023. In an interview, her sisters mentioned that Coco had been dealing with depression for some time, and she even sought help from professionals to overcome it; however, she couldn’t find a way out. [6]CBC
  • According to sources, she faced some problems in her marital life which led to the development of depression. [7]Global Times

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