The Canadian billionaire husband of Hong Kong-American singer Coco Lee has spoken publicly for the first time since her death on Wednesday.
Lee, 48, who had battled depression and was recovering from major surgery, died at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, where she lived.
Bruce Rockowitz, who is in his 60s and lives in Hong Kong, was said to have been away from the city when Lee died, but has since flown back.
In an obituary signed by Rockowitz and his two daughters from his previous marriage, he described his wife as a “beautiful person” and a “caring mentor.”
Coco was a beautiful person inside and out, warm and kind. “She was an accomplished singer-songwriter, a talented artist, a caring mentor to the younger generation, a beloved wife, a beloved friend, and a dear family member.”
Bruce Rockowitz (right), the Canadian billionaire husband of Hong Kong-American singer Coco Lee, has spoken publicly for the first time since her death on Wednesday
The couple got married in 2011 after eight years of dating. The Canadian businessman is the chairman of Rock Media International and co-founder of the Pure Group, and the former CEO of Hong Kong supply chain company Li & Fung.
He survives her, as do her sisters and two stepdaughters.
On Thursday night, Lee’s sister Nancy took to Facebook to tell fans that there are plans for memorial events for the star, who was a huge hit in Hong Kong and abroad.
The events will be held in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan in August, she said, with more details to be announced at a later date.
Lee’s death was announced in a statement posted on Instagram and Facebook three days after she took her own life.
She fell into a coma, but died on Wednesday.
“Although Coco sought professional help and did her best to fight depression, unfortunately that demon in her got the better of her,” the statement said.
On July 2, she committed suicide at home and was sent to the hospital. Despite the efforts of the hospital team to rescue and treat her from her coma, she finally died on July 5, 2023,” it added.
Lee’s career spanned about 30 years. Among her most notable performances were voicing the female warrior Mulan in the Mandarin-language version of Disney’s ‘Mulan’ and performing the Oscar-nominated song ‘A Love Before Time’ from the movie ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ .
Born in Hong Kong in 1975, she was the youngest of three children of a Hong Kong Cantonese mother and Malaysian father.
Lee was extremely popular in China and Taiwan, especially in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and her death caused an outpouring of grief in both wall-to-wall coverage in Taiwan.
One of the most read hashtags about her death generated 200 million reads on China’s Twitter-like Weibo microblogging site.
‘I will miss you forever. Miss your beautiful singing, your hearty smile and your beautiful smile,” one Chinese fan wrote.
Coco Lee, who had battled depression and was recovering from major surgery, died at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, where she lived
Lee’s father died before she was born, and by the age of 9, her mother had moved Lee and her sisters to the United States, to San Francisco.
After graduating from high school in 1992, she was offered a recording contract in Hong Kong with Capital Artists, which eventually led her to leave her studies at the University of California, Irvine to focus on her music career.
In 1996, Lee signed with Sony Music Entertainment and her debut album ‘Coco Lee’ became the best-selling album of that year in Asia.
It didn’t take long for Lee to gain fans in both Asia and the United States, beginning her path to new collaborations and English-language songs.
She recorded 18 studio albums and appeared in three films, most notably Lee Xin’s “Master of Everything” and Stanley Kwan’s “No Tobacco”.
In a final message on Sunday before attempting to take her own life, she praised her fans as her “pillar of strength” and that she was “working really hard” to recover.
‘Dear, I’m CoCo. I feel everyone’s love and support and you are my pillar of support,” she is heard saying in the audio message, which has been widely shared on social media, according to Taiwan News.
In a final message on Sunday before attempting to take her own life, she praised her fans as her “pillar of strength” and that she was “working really hard” to recover.
“I will keep striving. During this time I hope you are all healthy and happy too. I miss everyone very much. I work very hard. I’m thinking of you all. I miss you all so much! love you love you.’
Coco then switched to English and said, ‘Thank you so much for the gifts. Beautiful and very thoughtful. I love you.’
Fans commented that it sounds like her voice is breaking with emotion in the recording, and expressed their sadness that she would attempt suicide a few hours later, which would ultimately lead to her death on Wednesday.
In her last Instagram post in December, she said life over the past year had seemed “unbearable” at times, while her sisters said she struggled with depression.
She was also recovering from major surgery on her leg and pelvis to correct a birth defect, which she posted about on social media earlier this year.
The operation took two hours and she had to learn to walk again. Clips posted online showed her in a hospital bed and walking with a frame.
She suffered from the injury throughout her life, having surgery when she was just two years old did not fully resolve the problem. It left her more dependent on her right leg for support.
Her impressive stage performances masked the injury, but the problem worsened in October when she injured herself during a dance rehearsal. The sun reports.
This led to the major surgery performed in February.
Coco revealed the extent of her health problems that month in a Facebook post.
‘I was born with a defect in my left leg. When I was learning to walk, my mom noticed something wasn’t right and sent me to the hospital for surgery when I was just two years old,” she wrote on Feb. 23.
The operation took two hours and she had to learn to walk again. Clips posted online showed her in a hospital bed and walking with a frame
Coco Lee is seen in a hospital bed shortly after surgery earlier this year
“Unfortunately, the operation was unsuccessful. The doctor put a very thick metal bar through my left heel and I had to wear plaster at the time, which made it very uncomfortable. This was torture for me as a child because I couldn’t move at all.’
She continued, saying she’s “I’ve endured this pain for so many years and now it’s preventing me from living a normal life,” adding that surgery has left her facing “my biggest challenge and biggest fear in my entire life.” .
“I have never been afraid to face challenges because I would take everything one step at a time. But this time I feel vulnerable. I’ve always wanted to escape, but this time it’s inevitable,” she wrote.
“I will have to learn to walk again. I hope everyone will guide me through this difficult journey. I need you more than ever. You will always be in my heart and I will always love you. I am that great wall that will never fall!’
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