Meteor Garden: Taiwanese star Barbie Hsu dies at 48

Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, who was best-known for starring in the hit 2001 TV series Meteor Garden, has died from pneumonia at the age of 48, according to local media.

One of the biggest stars in the Mandarin-speaking world, Hsu became a familiar face even in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand after Meteor Garden was dubbed in local languages.

"I can't believe it," read one comment on Chinese social media platform Weibo, echoing the sentiments of millions of shocked fans who have been paying tribute.

She is belived to have fallen ill while visiting Japan. Her sister, Dee Hsu, confirmed her death to Taiwan's TVBS News on Monday.

"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 in a statement shared by her manager.

Hsu began her career at 17, as part of a pop duo with her sister Dee. They became famous as TV hosts, known for their animated style and sense of humour.

But it was Meteor Garden, a TV adaptation of a 1990s Japanese comic of the same name, that turned Hsu into a star whose fame stretched beyond Chinese entertainment.

In the drama, Hsu played Shancai, a teen from a middle-class family who attends an elite private school and finds herself entangled in a love web with the heirs of wealthy families.

Her four male co-stars in Meteor Garden would later form the Taiwanese boyband F4, one of the most popular Mandopop groups of the 2000s.

On Monday, F4 member Ken Chu shared a black, empty screen as well as a group photo with Hsu on Instagram. Then on Weibo, he wrote: "What a bolt from the blue."

Hsu was the top trending topic on Weibo on Monday. "She is only 48 years old… this is too sudden," read a comment. "This is a little difficult to accept."

Posts about influenza in Japan were also trending as fans tried to understand how she had fallen sick.

Meteor Garden captivated Asian audiences in an age before streaming. In the Philippines alone, a local broadcaster reportedly aired the entire series eight times to satisfy fan demand. Bootleg copies of the series were also sold at roadside stalls.

Meteor Garden's theme songs were also released in other languages, quickly becoming hits on the radio and on TV.

More than 20 years on, Meteor Garden's popularity has endured even as remakes attracted new fans. It has also inspired versions in Japan, South Korea, mainland China and India.

Hsu, who had a history of epilepsy and heart disease, was hospitalised previously due to seizures.

She leaves behind her husband, South Korean singer DJ Koo, and two children from an earlier marriage.

She and her ex-husband, Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei, had an acrimonious split in 2021, after a 10 year-long marriage.

In 2022, she married Koo. The two had dated early in her career.