Exclusive | Late Hong Kong pop diva Coco Lee’s husband Bruce Rockowitz ‘paid HK$8 million to rent penthouse for singer’
- Lee moved into one of two penthouses of Four Seasons Place in October last year, according to two different sources
- Penthouse on top floor of International Finance Centre in Central has monthly rent of HK$800,000
Bruce Rockowitz, the husband of late Hong Kong pop diva Coco Lee, paid at least HK$8 million (US$1 million) to rent a penthouse at a serviced apartment building after she moved out of their home, an insider told the Post on Friday.
Lee, who died on July 5 three days after a suicide attempt, moved into one of the two penthouses of Four Seasons Place in October last year and stayed there until early July, two sources told the Post.
The home is located on the top floor of the International Finance Centre in Central and has a roof terrace, a heated swimming pool and barbecue facilities.
Lee moved out of the couple’s home in Southern district and checked into the penthouse in October last year.
One insider said the penthouse had a monthly rent of HK$800,000, which Rockowitz was still paying.
“There are rumours claiming that Rockowitz was living on [Lee’s] money, which is not true at all. He has never spent any of her money,” the insider said.
Rockowitz and Lee were married in a high-profile ceremony in 2011, attended by celebrities from the city and abroad. The couple did not have any children together.
After attending her cremation ceremony on Tuesday, Rockowitz, 64, told the Post that his relationship with Lee, who was 48 when she died, lasted for 20 years.
The Canadian businessman said he had “100 per cent nothing to do with her death” after emotional fans shouted “murderer” and “you have no conscience” at him as he left the ceremony in Chai Wan.
According to a source, Lee first felt unwell on June 30 at the penthouse and was sent to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam where she spent a day before being discharged on July 1. She then moved to her sister Nancy Lee’s home on The Peak and attempted suicide the following day.
The source explained Lee had leg surgery in February and needed to take medication, adding that she did not appear to have suicidal tendencies at the time.
Another insider said that even after her death, Rockowitz was still paying rent for the penthouse.
Nancy Lee declined to comment.
On Monday, Rockowitz attended Lee’s funeral at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point with his two daughters, Rachel and Sarah, from his previous marriage. The trio was seen sitting among the guests, away from the Lee family. Rockowitz and his daughters were not among the eight pallbearers.
A receipt obtained by the Post shows a HK$5,500 wreath ordered by “Mr. Bruce” on July 31 was sent to the first floor of the funeral home.
It had a message saying: “To our beloved Coco, We will love you forever” from “Bruce, Rachel and Sarah”.
The message was attached to the heart-shaped wreath decorated with a purple orchid and white roses. A photo obtained by the Post shows the wreath inside the funeral home.
Lily Pang, a friend of Lee for 30 years who also served as a pallbearer, was quoted in local media as saying that the Lee family did not receive any wreath from Rockowitz, adding that they would accept it had they received one.
“The wreath bounced back from the funeral home on Monday, which is totally contrary to what the family’s friend told Chinese media,” an insider said.
In response to the Post’s queries, Pang said all the wreaths were handled by the funeral home.
“We let [Rockowitz] participate in the vigil and his wreath be placed inside the funeral home, but the funeral home did not receive it,” she said.
Rockowitz first came to Hong Kong from Boston in 1979 and settled down in the city as a tennis pro.
He became a billionaire in 2000 when he and Allan Zeman, the father of the Lan Kwai Fong entertainment precinct in Central, sold their co-owned supply chain management venture, Colby Group Holdings, for HK$2.2 billion to Li & Fung.
Rockowitz is the co-founder of the Pure Group fitness chain and a director of technology consultancy firm Step Digital Group.
