Barbie Hsu, the Taiwanese actress and singer best known for her role in the popular 2001 series Meteor Garden, has passed away. According to Deadline, the actress and TV personality succumbed to an influenza-induced pneumonia. She was only 48.
Videos by Suggest
Barbie Hsu, known to have a history of epilepsy and heart disease, was also previously hospitalized following a seizure episode. Hsu, affectionately known as “Big S,” passed away while on a family holiday in Japan, according to her sister Dee Hsu. The news quickly became the top trending topic on China’s Weibo microblogging platform, per The New York Post.
REST IN PEACE, OUR SHANCAI 🕊️
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) February 3, 2025
Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, renowned for her role as Shan Cai in the 2001 television series "Meteor Garden," has passed away at the age of 48.
She died due to pneumonia caused by influenza complications, her younger sister Dee Hsu confirmed in a… pic.twitter.com/ZLzvqAB71G
“My dearest and most kindhearted sister Barbie Hsu died of influenza-induced pneumonia and unfortunately left us,” Dee, who is nicknamed Little S, said in a statement per The Post.
“I was grateful to be her sister in this life. We got to care for and spend time with each other. I will always be grateful to her and miss her!”
Barbie Hsu Began Her Career as a Pop Singer
Barbie and Dee Hsu started their careers as a pop duo before branching out into television hosting and acting.
Taiwan’s Meteor Garden was a television adaptation of a 1990s Japanese manga by the same name. Hsu starred as Shan Cai, a spirited teenager from a middle-class background who enrolls in an elite private school. However, she finds herself entangled in a complex romance with the heirs of powerful, wealthy families.
Hsu’s four male co-stars from Meteor Garden went on to form F4, a Taiwanese boy band that rose to become one of the most iconic Mandopop groups of the 2000s.
Per IMDb, Hsu also appeared in TV shows such as Summer’s Desire and Corner With Love. She also acted in movies like Reign of Assassins and Motorway.
She stepped away from acting in 2012 but remained in the spotlight through appearances on reality shows.
Hsu was married to Korean rapper Koo Jun-yup, known as “DJ Koo,” for nearly three years following the end of her 11-year marriage to Chinese entrepreneur Wang Xiaofei. She is survived by her two children.