TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese director Ang Lee (李安) on Thursday (July 6) said that Hong Kong-born American singer CoCo Lee (李玟) "will be missed," in response to her sudden death.

On Wednesday evening (July 5), Coco's sister Nancy Lee (李思林) said Coco had attempted suicide on Sunday (July 2) and, despite efforts by physicians to save her, died at age 48. One of the highlights of Coco's career was when she sang the theme song "A Love Before Time" from the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which was directed by Ang at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001.

Through his assistant Lee Liang-shan (李良山), Ang issued the following statement in response to Coco's death as reported by hk01:

"I was shocked to hear the news about Coco Lee. My impression of her was that of such a cheerful and lovely person. I recall that when recording the Mandarin and English ending songs for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" with her, everything was so enjoyable."

Ang added that before performing at the Oscars, Coco told him, "I am the first Asian to sing at the Oscars, I must sing my heart out!" He then closed by stating "She will be missed."

The song was nominated for Best Original Song, and the film won four Oscars, including Best Foreign Language Film (Taiwan), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.