Barbie Hsu, a Taiwanese actor and singer best known for starring in the hit 2001 series “Meteor Garden,” has died. She was 48.
The BBC reported news of Hsu’s death on Monday, citing local media. Her sister, Dee Hsu, told Taiwan’s TVBS News that she had fallen ill while on vacation in Japan.
“During the Lunar New Year, our family came to Japan for vacation. My dearest sister Barbie has unfortunately left us after getting pneumonia, triggered by influenza,” Dee Hsu said, according to the BBC. Hsu had health struggles in the past and had previously been hospitalized due to epilepsy.
Barbie and Dee began their careers together as a singing duo, releasing the hit song “Ten-Minute Love” in 1994 under the name S.O.S. After a contractual dispute with their agency, the sisters shifted focus to hosting, which included the variety show “Guess” and entertainment news program “100% Entertainment.”
In 2001, Hsu rose to fame as the star of “Meteor Garden,” the first live-action adaptation of Japanese manga series “Boys Over Flowers,” alongside boy band F4. A sequel, “Meteor Garden II,” followed the next year. In 2004, she reunited with F4 member Vic Chou for the show “Mars,” and made her film debut in 2005 with “The Ghost Inside.” The following year, Hsu attended Cannes Film Festival with the horror film “Silk.”
Her other TV credits include the dramas “Corner With Love” (2007) and “Summer Desire” (2010), and on the film side the 2008 action movie “Connected,” 2010 rom-com “Hot Summer Days” and “Reign of Assassins” that same year alongside Michelle Yeoh.
Hsu stepped back from acting after marrying Chinese entrepreneur Wang Xiaofei in 2011. They had two children, a daughter and a son, but divorced in 2021. In 2022, she announced her marriage to South Korean singer Koo Jun-yup.
