Coco Lee
CoCo Lee | |||||||||||
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Lee in 2013 | |||||||||||
| Born | Ferren Lee 17 January 1975 | ||||||||||
| Died | 5 July 2023 (aged 48) Pok Fu Lam, Southern District, Hong Kong | ||||||||||
| Resting place | Shimenfeng Memorial Park, Wuchang District, Wuhan, China | ||||||||||
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| Education | University of California, Irvine (attended) | ||||||||||
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| Years active | 1993–2023 | ||||||||||
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| Chinese | 李玟 | ||||||||||
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| Chinese | 李美林 | ||||||||||
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| Website | cocolee | ||||||||||
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CoCo Lee (Chinese: 李玟; 17 January 1975 – 5 July 2023) was a Chinese-American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is one of the best-selling artists in Asia and widely regarded as a significant figure and a diva. Her career began in 1993 in Hong Kong, and she gained early fame in Taiwan through a series of successful albums, establishing herself as an icon in Asia. During her life, she lived in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United States, and mainland China. Her diverse cultural experiences shaped her background and laid the foundation for her success in the entertainment industry. She released 18 studio albums, 2 live records, and 5 compilations.
Lee has been described as "Asian Mariah Carey". She was also noted for her Americanized dance routines. She voiced the lead character of Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of the 1998 Disney film Mulan and sang its theme song, "Reflection".
Lee was the first Asian singer to have music released globally, making her the first Chinese singer to break into the western market. Her 1999 release, Just No Other Way, was the first ever English-language album recorded by an Asian singer. Her single "Do You Want My Love" had international success, appearing on the US Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts Chart at No. 4 and entering the top 50 of the US Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart while also peaking at No. 14 on the Australian Singles Chart and No. 20 on the Official Chart in New Zealand.
Lee's 2000 song "A Love Before Time", from the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and she performed it at the 73rd Academy Awards, becoming the first, and so far only, Chinese artist to perform at the Oscars. Lee was also the first Asian-American singer to sing the US National Anthem at an NBA game, the first Asian singer to hold a concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the first non-mainland Chinese singer to win the Chinese singing reality show I Am a Singer, and the first Asian brand ambassador for Chanel.
Lee died by suicide in Hong Kong, at the age of 48.