Mandopop singer Coco Lee (李玟) might not have meant to, but her passing certain sparked a grand mess. Amidst the grieving for Coco, her family has inadvertently gotten into a tug-of-war over her inheritance, and it hasn’t been pretty.
Initially, most assumed Coco Lee’s husband Bruce Rockowitz would have no share in the inheritance due to his infidelity and because she had allegedly left it to her 80-year-old mom as stated in her will. But, Bruce later supposedly attempted to overturn that. Which beggars the question; what is Coco Lee’s inheritance worth?
Media has since reported that Coco Lee, prior to her death, had owned a total of seven properties in Hong Kong, mostly consisting of mansions and commercial buildings in expensive neighbourhoods. Coco’s real estate portfolio has been reported to be worth HK$220 million (~RM130 million).
All seven properties have been paid off in full by Coco herself. However, four of the properties are jointly owned by Coco and her mom, while one more is registered under her name, her mom’s name and her two sisters, Carol and Nancy.
One of the singer’s homes, a luxury mansion on Barker Road in Hong Kong, is currently valued at HK$60 million (~RM35 million) which is HK$56.5 million (~RM33.5 million) more than it’s original value in 1988. Two units in a commercial office building bought in 2011, which Coco shares with her mom, are worth HK$12 million (RM7.1 million). The duo also own three houses worth RM242 million in Central Mid-Levels.
Chinese businessman Song Zude claims Bruce Rockowitz is taking legal action to obtain a share of Coco’s assests. But, Coco supposedly signed a long-term deed which states that all her properties would be transferred automatically to her mother upon her death.
We can certainly understand why Bruce Rockowitz wants a piece of the pie. But, all we can do is hope the family will honour Coco Lee’s wishes as she likely had her family’s best interests in mind.
Sources: 今周刊, New Straits Times
