The Canadian billionaire husband of the Hong Kong American singer, Coco Lee, has spoken publicly for the first time since her death on Wednesday.
Lee, 48, who had battled depression and was recovering from major surgery, died at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, where she lived.
Bruce Rockowitz, who is 60 and lives in Hong Kong, is believed to have been out of town when Lee died but has since returned.
In an obituary signed by Rockowitz and his two daughters from his previous marriage, he described his wife as a “beautiful person” and a “caring mentor.”
“Coco was a beautiful person inside and out, warm and kind,” the message read. “She was an accomplished singer-songwriter, a gifted performer, a loving mentor to the younger generation, a beloved wife, a dear friend, and a beloved family member.”
The Canadian billionaire husband of Hong Kong American singer Coco Lee, Bruce Rockowitz (right), has spoken publicly for the first time since her death on Wednesday.
The couple married in 2011 after eight years of relationship. The Canadian businessman is the chairman of Rock Media International and co-founder of Pure Group, and a former CEO of Hong Kong supply chain company Li & Fung.
He survives her, as do his sisters and two stepdaughters.
On Thursday night, Lee’s sister Nancy took to Facebook to tell fans that there are plans for commemorative events for the star, who was a huge hit in Hong Kong and abroad.
Events will be held in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan in August, he said, with more details to be announced at a later date.
Lee’s death was announced in a statement posted on Instagram and Facebook, three days after he attempted to take his own life.
He went into a coma, but passed away on Wednesday.
“Although Coco sought professional help and did everything she could to combat her depression, unfortunately that demon inside her got the best of her,” the statement said.
On July 2, she committed suicide at home and was sent to the hospital. Despite the best efforts of the hospital team to rescue her and treat her from the coma, she ultimately passed away on July 5, 2023,” she added.
Lee’s career spanned around 30 years. Notable performances by her include voicing the warrior Mulan in Disney’s Mandarin version of ‘Mulan’ and rendition of the Oscar-nominated song ‘A Love Before Time’ from the film ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’. ‘.
She was born in Hong Kong in 1975, the youngest of three children born to a Hong Kong Cantonese mother and a Malaysian father.
Lee was very popular in China and Taiwan, especially in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and his death triggered a wave of grief in both and wall-to-wall news coverage in Taiwan.
One of the most widely read hashtags about his death generated 200 million views on China’s Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo.
‘I’ll miss you forever. I miss your beautiful singing, heartfelt laugh, and cute smile,” wrote a Chinese fan.
Coco Lee, who had battled depression and was recovering from major surgery, died at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, where she lived.
Lee’s father passed away before she was born, and by the age of 9, her mother had moved with Lee and her sisters to the United States, to San Francisco.
After graduating from high school in 1992, she was offered a recording contract in Hong Kong with Capital Artists, which ultimately led her to drop out of the University of California, Irvine to focus on her music career.
In 1996, Lee signed with Sony Music Entertainment and her debut album ‘Coco Lee’ became the best-selling album of that year in Asia.
It wasn’t long before Lee gained a following both in Asia and the United States, starting his path to new English-language songs and collaborations.
He recorded 18 studio albums and appeared in three films, including Lee Xin’s ‘Master of Everything’ and Stanley Kwan’s ‘No Tobacco’.
In a final message on the Sunday before he attempted to take his own life, he praised his fans as his “pillar of strength” and that he was “working very hard” to recover.
‘Honey, I’m CoCo. I feel everyone’s love and support and you are my pillar of strength,’ she is heard saying in the audio message, which has been widely shared on social media, according to Taiwan News.
In a final message on the Sunday before he attempted to take his own life, he praised his fans as his “pillar of strength” and that he was “working very hard” to recover.
I will keep trying. During this time, I hope all of you are healthy and happy too. I miss everyone so much. I am working very hard. I’m thinking of all of you. I miss all of you so much! I love you I love you.’
Coco then switched to English and said, ‘Thank you so much for the gifts. Beautiful and very thoughtful. Love you guys.’
Fans noted that it sounds like his voice cracked with emotion on the recording and expressed sadness that a few hours later, he would attempt suicide and ultimately die on Wednesday.
In her last Instagram post in December, she said life over the past year had seemed “unbearable” at times, and her sisters said she was battling depression.
He was also recovering from major surgery on his leg and pelvis to correct a birth defect, which he posted about on social media earlier this year.
The surgery took two hours and left her needing to learn to walk again. Clips of her posted online showed her in a hospital bed and walking around with a frame.
He had suffered from the injury his entire life, and surgery when he was just two years old did not completely fix the problem. She left her more dependent on her right leg for support.
Her impressive stage performances masked the injury, but the problem worsened in October when she injured herself during a dance rehearsal, The Sun reports.
This led to the major surgery that took place in February.
Coco revealed the extent of her health problems that month in a Facebook post.
‘I was born with a defect in my left leg. When I was learning to walk, my mom noticed something was wrong and she sent me to the hospital for surgery when I was just two years old,” she wrote on February 23.
The surgery took two hours and left her needing to learn to walk again. Clips of her posted online showed her in a hospital bed and walking around with a frame.
Coco Lee is seen in a hospital bed shortly after undergoing surgery earlier this year.
“Unfortunately, the surgery was unsuccessful. The doctor inserted a very thick metal rod through my left heel and I had to wear a cast during that time which made it very uncomfortable. This was torture for me as a child because I couldn’t move at all.’
He went on to say that “I have endured this pain for so many years and now it prevents me from living a normal life”, adding that through the surgery he was facing “my greatest challenge and greatest fear in my entire life”.
‘I have never been afraid to take on any challenge because I would do it one step at a time. However, this time, I feel vulnerable. I have always wanted to escape, but this time it is inevitable, ”he wrote.
I’ll have to relearn how to walk. I hope that you will all accompany me on this difficult path. I need you more than ever. You will always be in my heart and I will always love you. I am that great wall that will never fall!’
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I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.