Pop diva Coco Lee's friends deliver moving tributes at her memorial service
Family and friends of Mandopop diva Coco Lee bade their farewell at her memorial service on Monday, more than three weeks after she died at the age of 48.
The event is decorated with a medley of white, pink, purple and light blue flowers surrounding the brown coffin. Three pink flower wreaths in the shape of heart can also be seen in front of the coffin.
Among the attendees, who are clad in black, are singers Jenny Tseng and Elva Hsiao who also gave eulogies remembering Lee.
Lee's sister Nancy started a livestream video of the memorial service on her YouTube channel at 4pm Singapore time with more than 40 celebrities and friends like actor Jackie Chan and singer Jolin Tsai recounting their memory with Lee in pre-recorded videos.
Singaporean singers JJ Lin and Stefanie Sun, as well as renowned artistes like Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau, Karen Mok and singer Fish Leong, also paid their tributes to the late star.
Many remember Lee as a talented friend full of warmth and sunshine who touched everyone's hearts.
Meanwhile, there were at least 10,000 fans all over the world watching the livestream video at one point, with some leaving comments expressing their condolences and the loss they felt for Lee.
The event at Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point will last until Tuesday.
Among those who gave their eulogies on Monday was Mr Jonathan Serbin, the co-president of Warner Music Asia. Lee joined the music entertainment company in 2022.
He said: "Coco Lee was a true legend in the music industry but just as importantly, she was kind, compassionate and a great friend and mentor to everyone in the world including everyone in this room.
"We will miss her dearly. The only consolation of course is her music will live on for artists and fans around the world in the generations to come."
Local media reported that funeral wreaths from her fans and celebrity friends like producer Edward Chan and Taiwanese diva A-mei have been steadily streaming in since the early hours of the day.
Last week, her family released the list of pallbearers for the funeral. There were eight names on the list, including her brother-in-law Billy Ho; famed lyricist Yao Chien; singer Jenny Tseng; and Mr Serbin.
The other four were Ms Lily Pang, Lee's close friend of more than 30 years; television host Yang Yang; Ms Grace Lee, the singer's high school classmate in San Francisco; and socialite Colleen Yu Fung.
Lee's estranged husband, Canadian businessman Bruce Rockowitz, was not on the list. The South China Morning Post reported that he arrived at the memorial service on Monday.
Media reports said Lee's fans from China, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan were planning to go to Hong Kong for the final sendoff of their idol.
Lee attempted suicide at home on July 2 and subsequently died on July 5.
Lee's sisters Nancy and Carol have reportedly chosen a photo of Lee from her album Illuminate to be the funeral portrait. In the photo, she wears a white top, said to be her favourite colour, and flashes her trademark smile with wind in her tresses.
The Hong Kong-born American singer, whose real name was Ferren Lee, burst into the Mandopop scene when she was 19 in 1994 with her debut album in Taiwan, charming fans with her powerful vocals, slick dance moves and a bubbly image.
Her wide vocal range, reportedly spanning three octaves, earned her the reputation as the "Mariah Carey of Asia".
She was crowned winner of the fourth season of Chinese reality show, I Am A Singer, in 2016. She was also well known for performing the theme songs of Disney animated film Mulan and Lee Ang's wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.