Hsu is thought to have fallen ill while visiting Japan

TAIWANESE actress and singer Barbie Hsu, known for starring in the hit 2001 TV series Meteor Garden, has tragically died aged 48.

Tributes for Hsu have poured in from across the world after her heartbroken sister confirmed the star had passed away from pneumonia.

Close-up of a woman touching her wet hair.
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Barbie Hsu starred in Connected (2008)

A woman and a young boy rest their arms on a rusty metal structure.
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Barbie Hsu and Jiali Ding in Croczilla in 2012

Black and white photo of Barbie Hsu.
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Actress and singer ‘Big S’ Barbie Hsu, AKA Xu Xiyuan has tragically died
Hsu is thought to have tragically fallen ill while visiting Japan.

Her heartbroken sister, Dee Hsu, confirmed her death to Taiwan’s TVBS News on Monday.

She said: “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.”

Hsu’s career began at 17 years old in a pop duo called S.O.S with her younger sister Dee.

They later renamed the group A.S.O.S.

Barbie and Dee soon became famous TV hosts who were renowned for their trendy, animated style and great sense of humour.

But once Hsu was cast in the 1990s TV adaptation of the Japanese comic Meteor Garden, her career sky-rocketed beyond Chinese entertainment.

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Hsu played Shancai – a teen from a middle-class background who goes to an elite private school.

The character finds herself in a love web with the heirs of incredibly wealthy families.

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On Monday, F4 boyband member Ken Chu, who starred in Meteor Garden alongside Hsu, posted a black screen as well as a group photo with the late star on Instagram.

He then wrote on Chinese social media platform Weibo: “What a bolt from the blue.”

More heartbroken tributes poured in for Hsu on Weibo.

One user said: “She is only 48 years old. This is too sudden.”

Another comment read: “This is a little difficult to accept.”

And: “I can’t believe it.”

Posts surrounding influenza in Japan were also trending on Monday as fans tried to wrap their head around how the star died.

Hsu also starred in various small and big screen hits, like the 2004 drama series Mars, the horror movie The Ghost Inside in 2005, and the action remake Connected in 2008.

Meteor Garden was first watched and loved by Asian audiences in the time before streaming existed.

In the Philippines alone, one local broadcaster apparently aired the entire series a whopping eight times to give fans what they wanted.

And the show’s theme songs were also released in various other languages which rapidly became hits on radio and TV.

Hsu had a history of epilepsy and heart disease which led to her being hospitalised previously for seizures.

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The late star leaves behind her husband DJ Koo, a South Korean singer, and her two children from a previous marriage.

Hsu and her ex-husband, Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei, went through a difficult split in 2021 after a decade-long marriage.

Barbie Hsu and Wang Xiaofei at the 2018 Elle Style Awards in Taipei.
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Actress Barbie Hsu Si-yuan and her husband at the time Wang Xiaofei at the 2018 Elle Style Awards Ceremony in 2018

Headshot of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu.
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Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu poses during a photocall for Chinese director Su Chao Pin’s film ‘Guisi’ (Silk) in 2006Credit: AFP