What’s trending?
The death of Chinese American singer Coco Lee has triggered an outpouring of grief on Chinese social media, while drawing attention to depression that’s linked to a string of celebrity deaths.
Since Lee’s sisters announced Wednesday that Lee died by suicide, several hashtags related to the singing sensation have topped the trending list on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo. One of them, #CoCo Lee died #李玟去世, had been viewed more than 3.8 billion times and garnered over 530,000 comments as of Thursday evening.
What’s the story?
On Wednesday evening, Lee’s sister Nancy Lee posted on Weibo that Lee attempted to kill herself at home Sunday. She was rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment, but was confirmed dead Wednesday. She was 48.
The post said Lee had been struggling with depression for years and her symptoms had recently gotten worse.
The news about her suicide shocked the entertainment industry, with peers such as Jam Hsiao, JJ Lin and Stefanie Sun posting tributes to the singer.
Over the 30 years of Lee’s singing career, she cultivated an image of a vibrant and sunny personality.
According to her fan club, she left a recording for fans on the day of her attempted suicide, saying: “You guys are my backup, I’ll do my best…I miss you all so much.”
Born in Hong Kong in January 1975, Lee moved to the U.S. with her mother when she was young. She began her singing career in 1993 when she entered a singing competition in Hong Kong and won second place.
Her star would grow in the years that followed. In 1996, Lee released an album that became the best-selling album in Asia that year, Reuters reported. In 1998, she sang for the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup.
Lee was the first China-born singer to break into the American pop music scene and the first Asian singer to appear on the Oscar stage, where she performed her Oscar-nominated song from the hit movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” She is also known for voicing the female lead in the Mandarin version of “Mulan.”
Despite her successful singing career, Lee’s personal life has not been smooth. Lee lost her father before she was born, and in 2016, she publicly stated that she had completely lost her voice due to acute bronchitis. In February this year, she revealed on Weibo that she was born with a defect in her left leg and she had to face “the biggest fear of her life” — undergoing a major surgery. She also reportedly suffered from breast cancer.
What are people saying online?
The issue of mental health and depression has emerged as a hot topic on Chinese social media, as users expressed shock and disbelief at the singer’s death.
A number of other Asian actors and singers suffering from depression have taken their own lives, including Hong Kong’s Leslie Cheung, mainland-born Qiao Renliang, and South Korean K-pop star Choi Jin-ri.
“I’m crying! I'm no less shocked than when I learned that Elder Brother (Cheung’s nickname) passed away,” one Weibo user said in response to Lee’s death.
One of Lee’s fans said on Weibo: “She worked hard to the end and gave love to the end. She took this life seriously.”
Calling Lee “a symbol of the millennium,” a Weibo user said she “symbolizes the infinite vision of the future for people of that era.”
“Thank you for leaving your most beautiful and brightest smile on everyone’s youth,” a young band singer posted on Weibo while mourning Lee.
Some users also called for more kindness and support for people with depression, saying that people suffering from depression tend to hide their pain with a smile. According to a 2022 report that was widely reposted after Lee’s death, one in 14 Chinese people suffer from depression.
Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Bertrand Teo (bertrandteo@caixin.com)
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