Singer CoCo Lee, voice of Disney's 'Mulan', dies by suicide at 48

Singer CoCo Lee, who lent her vocals to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and 1998’s Mulan, died by suicide on Wednesday. She was 48. The singer’s sisters, Nancy and Carol Lee, confirmed the sad news with a joint Instagram post on Wednesday. “CoCo had been suffering from depression for a few years, but her condition deteriorated over the last few months. Although, CoCo sought professional help and did her best to fight depression, sadly that demon inside of her took the better of her,” the post read.

CoCo had attempted to take her life on Sunday and had slipped into a coma before passing away on Wednesday. “As a family of CoCo, we are very grateful to have such an outstanding sister. We are thankful to God for giving us such a kind angel. We know now she has gone to a happier place and no longer suffers from depression; we trust God has her best interest looked after,” the post further read.

CoCo’s career in entertainment industry spanned exactly 30 years. While she had established herself as a pop singer in Asia, CoCo became best known for her song A Love Before Time in the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Her song was nominated for an Oscar in 2001. CoCo also voiced the lead character in the Mandarin version of Mulan and provided the singing voice for the lead Disney princess. In 1999, a song from her full-length album Just No Other Way was featured in the Julia Roberts film Runaway Bride.

CoCo is survived by her husband, Bruce Rockowitz, and her two stepdaughters. In her last Instagram post dated December 2022, CoCo detailed having an “incredibly difficult year”, but still encouraged positivity.