Coco Lee: Hong Kong pop singer’s star moments, from singing at the Oscars to US$20 million wedding, as fans mourn her death at age 48
- The Hong Kong-born singer moved to San Francisco as a child where she got her first taste of fame in 1991
- Lee voiced Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s 1998 film Mulan
Here we look at some of her star moments.
Early signs
Born in Hong Kong in 1975, Lee moved to San Francisco in the US when she was nine. In 1991, aged 16, she was crowned Miss Teen Chinatown San Francisco.
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Hong Kong music icon Coco Lee dies aged 48 after suicide attempt, sisters say
After graduating from high school in the US in 1993, she visited Hong Kong and “just for fun” entered the TVB New Talent Singing Contest.
She sang the 1992 hit “Run to You” by US star Whitney Houston and placed second in the contest. She was offered a recording contract the following day.
“I was 18 and supposed to go back to school. But I also had an opportunity to be a singer and I asked myself what I should do,” Lee said.
She briefly attended the University of California with plans to study biology – she wanted to become a doctor – but dropped out to pursue a career in entertainment.