Famed Taiwanese actor Sun Yueh died in hospital on Tuesday (May 1) aged 87, reports say.

The Golden Horse award winner had been admitted to the National Taiwan University Hospital in March for gallstones and later suffered chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Lianhe Zaobao reported on Wednesday.

He was transferred to the intensive care unit and initially appeared to be improving.

However, a close friend of his, Taiwanese host Chang Hsiao-yen, posted a black photo on Facebook on Wednesday with the word "Pain".

Netizens flooded her comments section saying they would remember "Uncle Sun".

Sun died of septicaemia or blood poisoning, compounded with multiple organ failure, on Tuesday evening, the hospital announced on Wednesday.

Sun was born in 1930 in Yuyao city in China's Zhejiang province.

He moved to Taiwan with the Kuomintang in 1949 and began his movie career in 1962, Focus Taiwan news reported.

A stalwart in the industry, he won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor for his role in 1982 film Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?

He also starred as an inspector in 1987 movie City On Fire opposite Chow Yun Fat, and in war drama Storm Over The Yangtse River (1969).

He retired from films in 1989 and turned to philanthropy and volunteerism.

Sun leaves behind a wife and two children.