Disney star Coco Lee dies suddenly aged 48

Singer Coco Lee performs at her concert on September 23, 2017 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. Photo / Getty Images

Warning: This story contains mentions of suicide

Coco Lee, a Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter who had a highly successful career in Asia, has been found dead, her family has revealed. She was 48.

The star had been suffering from depression for several years, Lee’s elder sisters Carol and Nancy Lee said in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram, with her condition deteriorating drastically over the past 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 statement read.

Lee attempted suicide at home over the weekend and she was rushed to a hospital, her sister said. They said that she was in a coma and died on Wednesday.

Born Ferren Lee in Hong Kong, Lee later moved to the US where she attended middle and high school in San Francisco. She became a singer after winning first runner-up in an annual singing competition held by broadcaster TVB in Hong Kong, and released her first album in 1994 at the age of 19.

Singer Coco Lee arrives at the red carpet for the opening ceremony of the 3rd Hainan Island International Film Festival. Photo / Getty Images

Though Lee initially started off as a Mandopop singer, she later branched out to release albums in Cantonese and English over her nearly 30-year career. She was best known for her powerful voice and live performances.

“CoCo is also known to have worked tirelessly to open up a new world for Chinese singers in the international music scene, and she went all out to shine for the Chinese,” her sisters said in their post. “We are proud of her!”

She also was the first Chinese singer to break into the American market, and her English song Do You Want My Love charted at #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Breakouts chart in Dec. 1999.

Lee was the voice of heroine Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s Mulan, and also sang the Mandarin version of the movie’s theme song Reflection.