Coco Lee tragedy a cry to fight cruellest of illnesses
- The death of Hong Kong singer-songwriter Coco Lee following her attempted suicide should galvanise community awareness of depression, which is a disorder that can affect anyone
Depression is the most common mental disorder. It can blight every aspect of life. Most people are lucky not to experience it, although many cases go untreated.
It can be difficult for others to understand how a widely envied, admired and successful person can suffer from it – so badly that taking their own life seems the only way out.
If there is any solace to be drawn from such tragedies it is that they galvanise community awareness that depressive disorder is an illness that can affect anyone. The death on Wednesday of Hong Kong singer-songwriter Coco Lee is a case in point.
The announcement by her older sisters on social media disclosed that she had been in a coma after attempting suicide at the weekend. The sisters said: “Coco had been suffering from depression for a few years but her condition deteriorated drastically over the last few months.”
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Hong Kong music icon Coco Lee dies aged 48 after suicide attempt, sisters say
The news prompted recall of the suicide in April 2003 of the Hong Kong superstar singer-actor Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing. This did nothing to alleviate the gloom engendered at the time by the deadly outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), then at its peak.
Commenting at the time, the Post found a positive of sorts about the tragedy that resonates amid today’s sadness – “perhaps it will be the growing awareness that depression is an illness – sometimes debilitating – and not just a frame of mind”.
Hopefully, Lee’s death will add to proactive awareness, prompt authorities to reflect on access to counselling and other psychiatric services, and encourage depressives to seek help that may change their lives. After all, the worst-case scenario of suicide remains a preventable cause of death among sufferers.
Remembering Coco Lee: 5 reasons the Mandopop icon will never be forgotten
Lee’s rise to stardom began with an appearance at a TVB talent contest 30 years ago in which she came second. At home and abroad, she may be remembered best for the song “A Love Before Time” in Ang Lee’s hit movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and for performing the track at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001.
If one social media post reflected the sentiments of friends and fans and the perniciousness of depression, it may have been from Hong Kong singer Gloria Tang Tsz-kei, widely known as G.E.M: “Can’t believe how much pain was behind your smile.”
