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Hong Kong-American Pop Singer Coco Lee Is Dead

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Hong Kong-born American pop singer Coco Lee, beloved in Asia for her diva riffs and as the voice of Disney’s “Mulan” in Mandarin, died Wednesday, according to an announcement from her family.

The 48-year-old had suffered from depression in recent years, “but her condition deteriorated drastically over the last few months”, sisters Carol Lee and Nancy Lee said in an Instagram post.

She was hospitalised Sunday after attempting to take her own life, they said.

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Despite the best efforts of the hospital team to rescue and treat her from her coma, she finally passed away on 5 July, 2023.”

Born January 17, 1975, in British-ruled Hong Kong, Lee — who also grew up in California — gained prominence in the 90s for her strong voice, crescendoing vocal riffs and soulful ballads.

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Her fluency in Cantonese, Mandarin and English helped Lee access a fan base not only in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, but also in Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia, as well as in Australia.

She sang the Mandarin version of the 1998 ballad “Reflection” from the Disney film “Mulan”, and recorded “A Love Before Time” as part of the soundtrack for martial arts film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” directed by Ang Lee.

She performed the Best Original Song-nominated number at the 2001 Academy Awards, making her the first singer of Chinese descent to grace the Oscars stage, according to Warner Music China.

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In 1999, Lee debuted her first full English-language album, “Just No Other Way”, which featured more R&B-influenced hits like “Do You Want My Love”.

From that album, “Before I Fall in Love” was chosen as the theme song for the Richard Gere and Julia Roberts rom-com “Runaway Bride”.

READ ALSO: U.S. School Honours Nigerian Achunike Okafor For Record-shattering Grade

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In her final Instagram post, Lee shared tattoos reading “love” and “faith” scrawled on her arms.

“My 2 favorite words that I carry strongly in my heart which I desperately needed to get thru this incredibly difficult year,” she wrote in the post, published on the final day of 2022.

You are not alone, no matter how hard life gets, I’m with u,” she wrote to her followers.

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According to her sisters, 2023 marked the “30th anniversary of CoCo’s singing career”.

“We are thankful to God for giving us such a kind angel,” they wrote.

“Although CoCo stays in the world for not long a time, her rays of light will last forever!”

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Entertainment

Oscar-winning Actress Diane Keaton Dead At 79 – Report

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Actress Diane Keaton, known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1977’s “Annie Hall” and her role in “The Godfather” films, has died at age 79, People magazine reported Saturday.

Details were not immediately available, and Keaton’s loved ones have asked for privacy, a family spokesperson told People, which confirmed that the actress died in California.

Keaton, a style icon, was a frequent collaborator of director Woody Allen, portraying the titular character in “Annie Hall,” the charming girlfriend of Allen’s comic Alvy Singer.

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The film also garnered Oscars for best picture, best director and best original screenplay, cementing Keaton’s place as one of the industry’s top actresses and an offbeat style icon as well.

READ ALSO:Full List Of Winners At Oscars 2025

The actress made her mark co-starring in eight Allen movies, from “Play in Again Sam” (1972) to “Manhattan” (1979) and “Manhattan Murder Mystery” (1993).

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As the Hollywood sexual harassment scandals detonated in late 2017, cascading from producer Harvey Weinstein to heavyweight actors like Kevin Spacey, old accusations of child sex abuse against Allen by his adoptive daughter Dylan, resurfaced.

Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,” Keaton tweeted in January 2018.

A BAFTA and Golden Globe winner, Keaton scored Oscar nominations three other times for best actress, for “Reds,” “Marvin’s Room” and “Something’s Gotta Give.”

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READ ALSO:5 Nigerians Who Have Received Oscars Nomination, Award

In “The Godfather” films, she played Kay Adams, the girlfriend and eventual wife of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone.

Late in her career, Keaton starred in two movies about ageing women: “Book Club” (2018), with its message that love has no age, and “Poms” (2019).

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“Poms” is the story of Martha, a terminally ill woman who moves to a retirement community to die, but winds up forming a cheerleading squad made up of female senior citizens.

As for ageing, Keaton said in a 2019 interview with AFP that life actually got easier.

I think so, because what have you got to lose? It’s like it’s the truth. That’s what it is. You face it, we talk about it,” she said.

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READ ALSO:See Full List Of Winners At The 96th Oscars

Born Diane Hall in Los Angeles on January 5, 1946, Keaton was romantically involved with Allen, Pacino and Warren Beatty, but never married.

“Most people in the movies get married at some point, and then they divorce. But I’ve never even got married. I am (a) failure,” she joked in the 2019 interview.

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Did she regret it? “I don’t think about it a lot, but I’m aware of the fact that I’m unusual in that regard, and maybe I did miss out on something — but then, nobody can have everything, right?”

She is survived by her two children, Dexter and Duke.
AFP

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Why I Can’t Quit Music – Erigga

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Nigerian rapper Erhiga Agarivbie, popularly known as Erigga, has revealed that he can’t quit music, stressing that he is doing it for passion and not for financial gains.

In an interview with Hip TV, Erigga noted that every year, some of his colleagues leave the music industry due to various circumstances.

However, he said he can’t quit because music is his life.

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READ ALSO:Why I Will Never Date A Rapper Again – AKA’s Ex, Nadia Nakai

The rapper emphasised that his passion for music supersedes the financial and social benefits.

“Every year, people leave music for real-life issues. But I can’t stop. Music is life. It’s what keeps me going. Take the business and everything out of it, it’s more of a passion. I can’t disappoint my fans,” Erigga said.

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Tiwa Savage Reacts To Allegation Of Sabotaging Female Colleagues

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Afrobeats singer, Tiwa Savage has denied allegations of sabotaging other female artists in the music industry.

She challenged those accusing her of sabotaging her colleagues to mention their sources and come forward with evidence.

Recall that a few years ago Kenyan singer, Victoria Kimani, accused Tiwa Savage of indirectly blocking her from performing at several shows.

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READ ALSO:Tiwa Savage Opens Up On ‘Disrespectful’ Secret Romance With Nigerian Celebrity

Reacting in a recent episode of the Offair Show, Tiwa Savage explained that she was being wrongly accused of sabotaging the chances of other female artistes to get bookings, claiming that show promoters could be lying to other artists using her name.

If you’ve heard from anybody that I tried to block your bag, mention names. Maybe the promoters are lying and using me, maybe they don’t want to book three, four girls. So, they claim I am the one blocking others,” Savage said.

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