Barbie Hsu's sudden death, age 48, from pneumonia after Japan trip

Taiwanese star Barbie Hsu's death at age 48 has shocked many in the Asian entertainment industry. Her sister, Dee Hsu, has announced that Barbie passed away from "influenza-related pneumonia" after a trip to Japan, reports The Straits Times.

As CNN reports, tragedy struck when Barbie Hsu and her family were in Japan for a family holiday during the Lunar New Year celebrations. The star caught the flu on her vacation, and what seemed an innocent virus, evolved into pneumonia. She passed away from the sudden illness on February 2.

Barbie Hsu, also known as 'Big S' in the Chinese entertainment scene, was one of Taiwan's biggest media personalities.

'Born on October 6, 1976, in Taipei, Taiwan, Barbie Hsu entered the entertainment scene at a young age with her sister, Dee Hsu. Together, the pair formed the girl group duo 'S.O.S', which stood for 'Sisters of Shu'.'

'Despite starting out in music, the sisters later switched careers to TV hosting and started their TV hosting career on the variety show 'Guess'.

TV hosting was a fruitful decision for both Barbie and Dee Hsu, as they grew to become two of the biggest household names in Taiwanese entertainment during their time on the shows 'Guess' and '100% Entertainment', reports QQ.

Barbie Hsu eventually moved to acting, and she was best known for starring in the Taiwanese drama 'Meteor Garden' in 2001. The drama can be considered her most standout acting work, which BBC reports to have helped her gain fame beyond Chinese entertainment as the show was very popular in Southeast Asia.

Other than her professional life, Barbie Hsu's personal love life was also frequently under the spotlight. She was once married to the Chinese entrepreneur and hotel chain owner Wang Xiaofei in the years 2010 to 2021, and the pair's love life was greatly discussed in Chinese tabloids.

Barbie Hsu's relationship with Wang Xiaofei was subject of much discussion, from being lauded as a loving couple with her husband dedicating a chain of hotels to her name, as reported by Design Hotels, to a very ugly fallout that was allegedly due to Wang Xiaofei's online behaviour, reported The Straits Times.

It was also a surprise for many that Barbie Hsu went on to marry her old flame, whom she reconnected with after her divorce, South Korean dance music star DJ Koo, in 2022, reports Asia One.

Many in the entertainment world were happy for Barbie Hsu with the beginning of her new life with DJ Koo, and the pair stood strong together. Her husband's last social media upload about their lives together was about the celebration of the 2025 New Year as a family.

Image: Weibo

The Straits Times reports that her death was a huge shock to many, as Barbie Hsu was spotted healthy and well just days before her death on January 25. On that day, she was attending the wedding of Taiwanese producer Wang Wei-chung’s daughter.

Reports of Barbie Hsu's death started floating about on the web as netizens spotted that Wang Xiaofei had changed his Weibo profile picture to that of a black image "as if he was in mourning", reported The Straits Times. In addition, Barbie Hsu's close friend, the Taiwanese singer Christine Fan, posted a black image on Instagram as well.

The Straits Times reported that the sudden switch to black in the social media profiles of celebrities closely affiliated with Barbie Hsu had prompted many netizens to theorise that she had died. The fans and press sought answers from the Hsu family and received the sad news from Dee Hsu on February 3rd.

Taipei Times reports that Dee Hsu confirmed the news of Barbie Hsu’s death through an agent and revealed her sister's cause of death, which was due to "influenza-induced pneumonia".

The BBC added more information, hinting that Barbie Hsu's track record of poor health might have contributed to her sudden passing, as the star had "a history of epilepsy and heart disease".

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