Fans keep up attacks on Coco Lee husband

A dozen angry fans of late Hong Kong-American singer Coco Lee surrounded her estranged billionaire husband after her cremation service, calling him "a liar" and "a killer."

Lee, who died on July 5 at 48 years old, was cremated at Cape Collinson Crematorium in Chai Wan yesterday morning after a second private funeral service attended by family and friends.

Canadian Bruce Rockowitz, 64, did not attend the funeral service but appeared at the cremation ceremony, after which he was scolded by emotional fans, including a woman who tried to throw a flower bouquet at his vehicle.

Lee's two elder sisters, Carol and Nancy, arrived at Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point at 8.50am for the last funeral ceremony, before eight of her closest friends and colleagues carried her casket. Her two sisters held her portrait outside of the memorial hall.

The pallbearers included Lee's brother-in-law Billy Ho, Macau singer Jenny Tseng, Taiwanese lyricist Yao Chien, co-president of Warner Music Asia Jonathan Serbin and a mainland fan, Yang Yang.

Her casket was loaded into a black hearse - draped with white and pink flowers and white curtains - and departed for the crematorium at 10.50am.

Hundreds of fans dressed in black waited along Java Road and called out "Coco" when the hearse passed by.

The two sisters and other family members arrived at the crematorium at 11.10am, while Rockowitz arrived shortly after them in a seven-seater and hurriedly entered the service hall. Sources said Rockowitz should have been in charge of pressing the cremation button, but he let Lee's sisters do it.

The sisters were much calmer than on Monday - when they cried out "he caused the death of our sister" - but they still did not talk to Rockowitz.

Some 500 fans were also allowed to enter the crematorium to bid farewell.

Rockowitz left the service hall after the cremation service at around 12.10pm, escorted by several bodyguards, but was mobbed by reporters and fans as he was about to board his vehicle.

"I loved Coco my whole life," he said when asked to say something about his wife.

But emotional fans shouted back "liar," "killer," "you heartless man" and "return Coco to us" - in English, Cantonese and Putonghua. He did not respond and got into the vehicle amid the chaos.

A fan from Xi'an province, surnamed Xu, slapped the window of Rockowitz's vehicle and tried to throw a flower bouquet at the car to vent her anger but was stopped by the security guards.

Xu also cursed out at Rockowitz.

Family, friends and some fans later held a two-and-a-half hour memorial banquet at Hong Kong City Hall in Central. Rockowitz was not there.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com