Hong Kong bids farewell to trailblazing Chinese singer Coco Lee, remembered as kind, loyal and gracious
- Tributes flow from eldest sister Nancy Lee, singer Elva Hsiao, schoolmates and others including Cantopop legend Andy Lau at funeral home in North Point
- Hong Kong fans join others from across mainland China to take part in second half of service open to public
A forest of flowers surrounded a photo of a smiling Coco Lee in the main hall of a Hong Kong funeral home on Monday as family, friends and celebrities were joined by fans who had travelled from as far away as Beijing and Malaysia to pay their respects to the pop star, who blazed a trail for Chinese singers.
Fans began gathering outside the funeral parlour in North Point hours before the ceremony began shortly after 4pm.
Staff members helped to clear a path for the arrival of some of the biggest local names in entertainment and business, many wearing sunglasses and dressed in black, who avoided media questions as they solemnly entered the building.
The first half of the service, which lasted about two hours, was closed to the public but live-streamed on a dedicated YouTube channel.
Ahead of the delivery of nine eulogies, Coco Lee’s eldest sister, Nancy Lee, paid tribute to the singer in both Mandarin and English, speaking against the backdrop of the banks of orchids and other flowers spread out in front of the portrait of the diva.
“My sister would often say this in her concerts: you could have chosen to go anywhere, but today you chose to come here [and] be with me, for that, I thank all of you,” she said.
Singer Jenny Tseng, close friend Elva Hsiao, Warner Music Asia co-president Jonathan Serbin and Coco Lee’s schoolmates from San Francisco also remembered Lee, who died at age 48 earlier this month after a suicide attempt following a long battle with depression.