Barbie Hsu, Taiwanese Star of ‘Meteor Garden,’ Dies of Flu-Related Illness at 48: Report
Barbie Hsu has reportedly died at the age of 48.
According to local media outlet the Taipei Times, the Taiwanese actress, who played the role of Dong Shancai in the 2001 drama Meteor Garden, died of pneumonia after contracting influenza during a trip to Japan.
“Our whole family came to Japan for a trip, and my dearest and most kindhearted sister Barbie Hsu died of influenza-induced pneumonia and unfortunately left us,” Barbie’s sister and talk show host Dee Hsu said in a statement through an agent.
“I was grateful to be her sister in this life and that we got to care for and spend time with each other. I will always be grateful to her and miss her,” she added, per the outlet.
The date of Barbie’s death has not been confirmed.
PEOPLE has reached out to representatives for Hsu for comment.
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According to the BBC, Barbie — who is also known as Big S — had a history of health challenges that included epilepsy and heart disease. She was also previously hospitalized due to seizures.
The star’s career began at 17 when she and her sister Dee were a pop duo, per the outlet.
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The siblings then became TV hosts before Barbie reached international stardom as she was cast in the TV show Meteor Garden — a TV adaptation of a 1990s Japanese comic of the same name.
In the show, Barbie played middle-class teenager Dong Shancai, who attended an elite private school and became entangled with the heirs of rich families.
After her time in the series, Barbie went on to star in many more TV shows and movies, such as 2007’s Corner with Love and 2018’s Summer’s Desire.
According to CNN, Barbie retired from entertainment in 2022 after her 2021 divorce from Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei. She then remarried singer and DJ Koo Jun-yup in 2022.
Her last Instagram post, which was posted on Dec. 21, was of her husband performing a DJ set onstage. “Clon forever 🌟🌟🌟DJ KOO你超Cool❤️❤️❤️,” her caption read.
Taipei Times reports that she is survived by her husband and a 10-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son, whom she shared with her ex-husband Xiaofei.
