Disney star and pop singer Coco Lee dies at 48 after attempting suicide

Chinese American pop singer Coco Lee dies at the age of 48 after attempting suicide on Sunday. She was the first Chinese American to sing at Oscars

Pop Singer Coco Lee died on Wednesday at the age of 48. She had been in a coma after trying to take her own life at the weekend.

Her sisters Carol and Nancy revealed that Lee was suffering from depression for a  few years and attempted suicide on Sunday. She was hospitalised and couldn't be brought out of the coma and, subsequently, died on Wednesday.

Lee was born in Hong Kong and moved to the US as a child. She released albums in Mandarin and English. Lee sang the theme song "Reflection" from the 1998 Disney movie Mulan in the Mandarin version.

She was also 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.

Lee sang the US national anthem at the National Basketball Association, where Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming played his first match for Houston Rockets.

She was the first Chinese American to sing the US national anthem in any global sporting event.

Lee's sisters, Carol and Nancy wrote an Instagram or Facebook post, where they mentioned that Lee had countless acclaims in the last 29 years of her professional career and had done some phenomenal live performances.

Coco’s contribution to opening up the global stage for the Chinese singers is thought to be unparalleled, a goal towards which she worked tirelessly throughout her life, claimed the post.

The post also mentioned Lee's suicide, saying she was suffering from depression for a few years, but “her condition deteriorated drastically in the last 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,” it added.