Very sad news today out of the entertainment industry:
Coco Lee, who voiced Fa Mulan in the Mandarin-dubbed version of the 1998 Disney classic film Mulan, died by suicide on July 5, her relatives have now confirmed in a statement.
She was 48 years old.
“With great sadness, we are here to break the most devastating news: Coco had been suffering from depression for a few years but her condition deteriorated drastically over the last few months,” reads a message on Facebook written by the artist’s sisters.
They added that Lee had been in a coma after an attempt to take her own life.
“Although, Coco sought professional help and did her best to fight depression, sadly that demon inside of her took the better of her,” the statement continued.
The siblings said the singer had attempted suicide at home July 2 and had then been rushed to hospital… where she eventually passed away.
Lee sang the Mandarin version of the theme song “Reflection” from Mulan.
In 2001, she also became the first Chinese American to perform at the Oscars, singing the Best Original Song-nominated “A Love Before Time” from Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
She looked back on her Disney journey in a September 2020 Instagram, writing back then:
“That was my 1st time being an actress as the voice of Mulan in 1998… Do u guys remember??”
Lee also acted in three movies – Stanley Kwan’s No Tobacco (2002), Lee Xin’s Master of Everything (2004) and He Jiong’s Forever Young (2015) – and appeared regularly as a judge on mainland Chinese talent shows, including Chinese Idol and Come Sing With Me.
Throughout her lengthy and impressive career, Lee released albums in Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
Added her sisters on Wednesday:
“Not only did she bring us joy with her songs and dances in the past 29 years, she also worked hard to break new ground for Chinese singers in the international music scene and has been doing her utmost to shine for the Chinese.”
In Lee’s final Instagram post, posted this past December, she reflected on her “incredibly difficult year,” noting that she was “desperately” carrying the words love and faith in her heart.
“Life seemed unbearable at times but I adapted the attitude of a ‘female warrior’ to face them head on fearlessly but always had the biggest smile and big fat laughters!” Lee wrote at the time.
“Strength, courage, n bravery is within all of us so use them.”
Lee is survived by her husband of 12 years and her two stepdaughters.
May she rest in peace.