Barbie Hsu, a Taiwanese actress who starred in the popular TV drama “Meteor Garden” that once swept across Asia, has died after contracting pneumonia triggered by the flu

Taiwanese actor Barbie Hsu, who rose to fame across East Asia as the romantic lead in the 2001 television drama "Meteor Garden," has died of influenza at 48, her sister said Monday.

Popularly known as ‘Big S’, Barbie Hsu began her career in 1994 in the pop duo SOS before starring in a number of hit films and TV series.