Taiwanese star Barbie Hsu dies at 48 after catching influenza in Japan

Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, star of the seminal idol drama Meteor Garden (2001 to 2002), who is also known by her stage name Big S, has died at the age of 48.

The news was confirmed on Feb 3 in a statement sent out to Taiwanese media by her family via the manager of her younger sister, famed TV host Dee Hsu, 46.

According to Taiwanese news outlet Star ETToday, the statement written primarily in Chinese read: “Thanks for all the concern. Over the Chinese New Year period, our entire family travelled to Japan for a holiday, and my most beloved, kindest elder sister Barbie came down with influenza-related pneumonia and has unfortunately left us.

“I am thankful to be her sister in this life, and grateful that we have taken care of each other and kept each other company all these years. I will always be thankful to her and remember her. Shan (Barbie Hsu’s nickname), rest in peace. We love you always. Together remember forever.”

The statement did not clarify when and where Barbie Hsu died. But Taiwanese television producer Wang Wei-chung, a close friend of the Hsu family, later told Taiwanese reporters in a statement that the family are still in Japan, where Hsu died, and are in the midst of taking her remains home. He added that Hsu’s mother hopes reporters will give the family privacy when they return to Taiwan.

The news of Hsu’s death came after a netizen implied on Facebook on Feb 2 that a Taiwanese celebrity married to a foreigner has died at age 48, sparking speculation that Hsu,

who is married to South Korean musician Koo Jun-yup

, 55, had died.

Many netizens initially thought the news was a hoax, as Hsu was recently at a homecoming banquet to celebrate the marriage of Wang’s daughter on Jan 25 and looked to be healthy and in good spirits.

She also appeared with the rest of her family in a New Year post by Koo on Dec 31 and looked to be well then too.

But rumours of her death intensified as messages sent to Hsu’s family, including Dee Hsu, asking for clarification were ignored.

Also, Barbie Hsu’s former husband, Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei, reportedly changed his profile photo on Chinese streaming platform Douyin to plain black, as if to indicate he was in mourning.

Taiwanese singer Christine Fan, who is good friends with both Barbie and Dee Hsu, posted a black background with no caption on her Instagram on Feb 3, shortly after the news was confirmed.

Barbie Hsu leaves behind two children – a 10-year-old daughter and an eight-year-old son – she had with Wang,

whom she divorced in November 2021

. In February 2022, she reunited with her old flame Koo and married him. They would have celebrated their third wedding anniversary on Feb 8.

Hsu is also survived by Dee Hsu, their elder sister who is not a celebrity, and their mother.

Barbie Hsu had kept a low profile in recent years. Her last role was a voice-acting gig for a dubbed version of the Pixar superhero movie Incredibles 2 (2018). Her last TV appearances were both in 2019 – as a commentator for Season 2 of Chinese reality dating series Dream Space, and in the Chinese travelogue series We Are Real Friends, in which she appeared with Dee as well as her close friends, singer Mavis Fan and TV host Aya Liu.

But prior to her retreat from the limelight, Hsu – who came to prominence in the 1990s as part of a pop duo with Dee Hsu called ASOS – was a prolific star. She was known for being one of many hosts during the long run of variety series Guess Guess Guess (1996 to 2012) and entertainment news programme 100% Entertainment (1997 to 2024).

With the mega hit Meteor Garden and its 2002 sequel, she also found success in acting, and went on to star in period series Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story (2003), thriller film Connected (2008) and romantic drama Summer Desire (2010).