Popular Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu has died at the age of 48, her family confirmed on Feb 3.

The star, who was perhaps best known for being the leading lady of seminal hit Taiwanese idol drama Meteor Garden (2001) and its sequel the following year, succumbed to influenza-related pneumonia while on vacation with her family in Japan over the recent Chinese New Year period.

The news has left the Taiwanese entertainment industry and Hsu’s fans reeling.

Here are 10 things to know about the late actress’ life, which was often more dramatic than fiction.

1. Rise to fame as Big S in the 1990s

Hsu first became known to the public in 1994 as part of the pop duo SOS with her younger sister, TV host Dee Hsu. The group name stood for Sisters Of Shu (an alternative way to write their surname Hsu), which gave them their respective stage names of Big S and Little S. They later changed their SOS to ASOS due to contractual disputes.

The sisters, who were both high-schoolers studying at Taiwan’s Hwa Kang Arts School at the time of their debut, were known for cheery bubblegum love songs like Ten Minutes Of Love (1995).

But their singing career was eventually overshadowed by other pursuits, as their quirky personalities and quick wit helped them to pivot to TV hosting.

2. Early hosts of Guess Guess Guess

While the long-running variety series Guess Guess Guess (1996 to 2012) may be most associated with its veteran Taiwanese host Jacky Wu, Hsu is actually one of three original hosts who predate him.

The Hsu sisters were the programme’s first hosts when it premiered in 1996, alongside late Taiwanese actor Lung Shao-hua, who died in 2021. Lung left the show in 1998, which was when Wu came in as co-presenter. The sisters hosted alongside Wu until 2000, when they left the show.

Barbie and Dee Hsu are also often credited for making the entertainment programme 100% Entertainment (1997 to 2024) popular. They began hosting it in 1998, though Barbie Hsu left the show in 2005, with Dee following suit in 2006.

3. Meeting her final love Koo Jun-yup

It was on 100% Entertainment that Hsu first met her second husband and the final love of her life, South Korean musician Koo Jun-yup, 55. Koo, who was part of the 1990s K-pop duo Clon, was interviewed by the sisters on the programme in 1998 when he was in Taiwan to promote his activities.

Prior to that meeting, Hsu had proclaimed herself a fan of his and had said she hoped to marry him.

The pair quickly fell in love, but later broke up as Koo’s agency was against him dating. In 2000, Clon backed out of a 100% Entertainment appearance at the last minute, following rumours about Koo and Hsu’s romance. Hsu cried while hosting the programme after Clon’s appearance was cancelled.

4. Newsworthy romances

Aside from Koo, Hsu – who was unafraid of going public with her romances – had several high-profile relationships with famous men.

She dated Taiwanese actor Blue Lan, now 45, whom she met on the set of Meteor Garden, before the pair broke up in 2005. The love affair had its share of hiccups. In 2003, she once took off before the live filming of 100% Entertainment, due to a fight she had with her family over Lan. Dee Hsu was left crying on camera, appealing for her sister to return.

Shortly after Lan, Barbie Hsu dated another Meteor Garden co-star, Vic Chou, who was part of the boy band F4. The romance came to light when the Taiwanese actor and F4 boy band member, now 43, was involved in a car accident and Hsu rushed to visit him. The pair split up in 2008.

5. Whirlwind marriages

Hsu eventually married Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei, now 43, in November 2010, just months after meeting him at a friend’s gathering. They held their wedding in March 2011 in a star-studded ceremony attended by famous friends and personalities in the seaside resort town of Sanya, Hainan.

Wang launched a hotel in Taipei named S Hotel after his wife’s stage name in 2017.

But that was not Hsu’s only whirlwind marriage. After Wang and Hsu got divorced in November 2021, Koo reached out to her by calling her mobile number – which remained unchanged over 20 years. The pair reconnected and fell in love, despite being in a long-distance relationship.

They registered their marriage on Feb 8, 2022, in South Korea, while Hsu was in Taiwan. Koo later visited her in March, their first face-to-face meeting in two decades. Their teary reunion came after Koo was quarantined for 10 days in a hotel after arriving in Taipei due to Covid-19 restrictions in Taiwan at the time.

6. Ugly divorce

Hsu seemed to be the sort to fall in love hard and fast, and her divorce from Wang was an ugly and drawn-out one filled with legal battles that made headlines.

Both parties accused each other of infidelity. Wang went on multiple expletive-filled social media rants, where he claimed that Hsu prevented him from seeing their children – a daughter, 10, and son, eight. He also complained about Hsu using an expensive mattress he had bought.

The saga eventually led to Hsu paying movers to publicly return said mattress to S Hotel, which attracted a media frenzy, and the mattress was later taken apart in front of news cameras.

Wang’s mother, restaurant entrepreneur Zhang Lan, an avid live-stream saleswoman, also often made public jabs at Hsu following the divorce and even once mocked the clothes Hsu was spotted wearing to a family member’s funeral.

7. Long-time vegetarian

Hsu was a long-time vegetarian for more than a decade prior to her marriage to Wang. In a 2015 episode of variety talk show Mr Con & Ms Csi (2004 to 2016), also known as Kangxi Coming, she said she first became vegetarian because her pet dog was gravely ill.

She wished for its good health and said she would, in exchange, become vegetarian. When her dog recovered, she kept her promise.

However, she gave up this diet after marrying Wang. In the same episode, Hsu – who had trouble conceiving for some three years before her first child was born in 2014 – said she was pressured into eating meat by her mother-in-law Zhang, who believed she was too thin to bear a child.

8. Peta advocate

Hsu was also an animal rights advocate and animal lover. After her death, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) Asia’s senior vice-president Jason Baker released a statement, saying: “All of us at Peta are heartbroken. Barbie was one of the first and biggest stars to lend her support to Peta.

“She used her platform on social media to expose the cruelty of the fur industry, educating millions of people about how animals are confined to tiny cages, trapped in painful steel-jaw traps, and killed by electrocution or gassing. She spoke up countless times for animals, directly urging brands to stop selling fur… The animals already miss her.”

Hsu was named Asia’s sexiest vegetarian woman in 2009 by the organisation.

9. Queen of beauty

Aside from being a successful host and actress, Hsu also cultivated her reputation as the “queen of beauty” – not so much for her good looks, but for her expertise when it comes to beauty services and products.

In 2004, she released a book of beauty tips, tricks and secrets called Queen Of Beauty, which was a hit in Taiwan.

She was also open to trying new beauty treatments and products, including unorthodox methods she came up with, such as using Regaine, a known hair-loss product, on her eyebrows in a bid to promote thicker growth.

10. Tattoo lover

Hsu loved tattoos. In a Vogue Taiwan video she appeared in with Koo in 2022, she revealed she had 10 tattoos at the time, including one on her left thigh that Koo personally inked. The pair also tattooed on their wedding rings, which were also done by Koo.

She added the thigh tattoo helped to cover up a burn mark she had from many years ago. The couple also sport body art that says “Remember together forever”, with Hsu having it on her collarbone while Koo has it on the side of his neck.