Singer Coco Lee died yesterday (Wednesday) at the age of 48, following a suicide attempt earlier in the week, according to her sister, Nancy Lee.

Coco, who released several popular albums in English and Mandarin, was the first Chinese singer to perform at the Oscars. She performed a song from the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack at the 2001 awards.

According to her sister’s post on Facebook, Coco had been in coma since a suicide attempt at the weekend. She had suffered from depression for many years. According to Taiwanese media, Nancy also confirmed that Coco was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

‘‘Despite the efforts of the hospital team bring her out of her coma, she finally passed away on July 5^th,’’ Nancy wrote.

Coco joined a talent show, broadcast on Hong Kong’s TVB in 1993, in which she was the runner-up. She gained a lot of attention after her debut album was released in 1994. Her unique voice and R&B songs were especially popular in the Mandarin market.

She also released English albums in western markets. Her first English album, Just No Other Way, broke into the US charts and created her fan base in the US.

Several pop stars have lamented her passing, including Taiwan’s Jolin Tsai, who wrote on Facebook, ‘’always remembering you with your brightest smile’’.

By Franc Han Shih, Thai PBS World