#CocoLee

BY CHAD DE GUZMAN 

Fans and fellow entertainers across #Asia are in mourning after the tragic death of #HongKong-born singer-songwriter and actress #CoCoLee on Wednesday at the age of 48.

Lee’s sisters Carol and Nancy shared on #Instagram that the artist had been suffering for years from #depression and had attempted to take her own life on Sunday. She was taken to Hong Kong’s Queen Mary Hospital, where she was unable to be resuscitated from a coma and passed away on July 5.

Lee—who moved to the U.S. as a #child and released 18 albums in #Mandarin, #Cantonese, and #English between 1994 and 2013—was perhaps most well-known for being the first #Chinese-#American to perform at the Oscars, when in 2001 she sang “A Love Before Time” (from the soundtrack to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Lee was reportedly dealing with a number of health issues in recent years and a strained relationship with her husband, Canadian businessman Bruce Rockowitz. But her sudden passing has also brought attention to the state of #mentalhealth in #HongKong, where deaths by #suicide have consistently plagued the community—particularly during the recent #COVID-19 #pandemic and following the civic unrest and political instability caused by the 2020 implementation of a controversial national security law.

“Although CoCo sought professional help and did her best to fight #depression,” Lee’s sisters wrote in their #Instagram post, “sadly that demon inside of her took the better of her.”

After news of Lee’s death, fans took to her Weibo page expressing disbelief. “May there be no #depression in heaven,” one user wrote.

Several artists have also paid tribute to the late pop star, from action movie star and fellow Hong Konger Jackie Chan to Singaporean singer JJ Lin, who took to #Facebook to say, “I wish life could have been gentler on your soul.”

The poor state of #mentalhealth in #HongKong

Lee’s death, albeit caused by a confluence of factors, comes amid increasing concerns in #HongKong about mental well-being, challenging the city’s new tourism slogan “Happy Hong Kong.”

The city ranked behind 80 countries in the 2022 U.N. World Happiness Report, dropping from 77th the year before, and a 2019 survey from the #HongKong Public Opinion Research Institute and non-government organization MindHK found that 61% of the city’s adult population already has “poor mental well-being.”

In May, a University of #HongKong (HKU) study found that some 16% of Hong Kongers aged 15-24 have experienced at least one of five #mentalhealthdisorders—#depression, #anxiety, #panicdisorder, #bipolardisorder, and #psychoticdisorder—in the past year. Of 3,000 survey respondents, nearly a fifth reported #suicidalthoughts in the past 12 months, while 5% and 1.5% had made plans to end their lives or attempted to do so, respectively.

Data from the #HongKong Jockey Club’s Centre for #Suicide Research and Prevention showed a slight uptick in #suiciderates (deaths per 100,000) from 2020 and 2021, although generally the #suiciderate has hovered above 12 since 2011.

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While social #stigma already puts those with #mentalhealthissues at a disadvantage, in Hong Kong, #COVID-19 and the deteriorating socio-political situation in the city have contributed to the worsening #mentalhealth of people, particularly #youth, says HKU’s Calvin Cheng, a clinical assistant professor. “Before COVID, already more people seeking for #mentalhealthservice,” Cheng tells TIME, “because more conflict amongst the citizens or the unhappy news in the TV.”

And while a government-backed advisory panel on #mentalhealth has promoted #education and awareness in #HongKong, Eric Chen, who chairs HKU’s psychiatry department, tells TIME that the city still lacks a systemic public health program to combat #depression. “The #mentalhealthcare system in #HongKong is disproportionately under-resourced relative to the overall affluence of the city,” he says, adding that those who need to seek non-private #mentalhealthservices have had to wait up to a year.

Heidi Lo, another HKU professor who specializes in adult psychiatry, says Lee’s death should be “an alerting signal” to the public: “Even someone as famous as #CoCoLee, who apparently seems to be successful and, from her photos on #socialmedia or on the news, she seems to always smile, like she seems to always be bringing joyful moments to others, but actually, she was facing the problem of #depression.”

“I think there is a lot of room for improvement in #HongKong for making sense of it,” Lo says, “and facing it not like a taboo.”

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a #mentalhealthcrisis or contemplating #suicide, call or text #988. In emergencies, call #911, or seek care from a local hospital or #mentalhealthprovider.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 07: Recording artist Coco Lee attends Will.I.Am's Annual TRANS4M Concert Benefitting I.Am.Angel Foundation - Red Carpet on February 7, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images for TRANS4M)
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2023/07/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-singer-and-actress-cocolees-death-at-age-48-puts-spotlight-on-not-so-happy-hongkong/