More information about Barbie Hsu’s sudden death have surfaced online.
The 48-year-old actress died from influenza-associated pneumonia during a family trip to Japan over the Chinese New Year period.
Since her passing, many have taken to their socials to pay tribute to Barbie.
Among them was a tour guide who claimed to have hosted Barbie and her family during their time in Tokyo.
In a Xiaohongshu post, the guide said Barbie was already coughing on her first day (Jan 29) in Japan. She also showed symptoms of asthma at that time.
The actress then stayed in at their hotel in Hakone for the next two days before she was admitted to the hospital.
However, as the hospital in Hakone was too small, Barbie was transferred to a bigger hospital where they confirmed that she had contracted Influenza-A.
There, the doctor prescribed some medication to Barbie before she returned to Tokyo with her family without staying in the hospital for further treatment.
Unfortunately, Barbie’s condition deteriorated quickly around midnight, and she was rushed to the hospital again.
The actress passed away in the hospital the next day (Feb 2).
However, another source claims that Barbie was actually not unwell when she flew to Japan.
Instead, she suddenly started coughing badly after a day or two in Tokyo, and her condition eventually deteriorated into pneumonia.
She was then rushed to the hospital but passed away before they could put her on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a form of life support.
They also claimed that the doctor’s final verdict was that Barbie’s real cause of death was sepsis, a serious condition that happens when the body’s immune system has an extreme response to an infection.
Many are wondering if Barbie had underlying health problems before her death. She reportedly suffered from mitral valve prolapse, which is a valvular heart disease.
In a separate Instagram post, Barbie’s long-time pal, former model Janet Chia said she had rushed over to Japan once she was informed about Barbie’s condition.
“I made it in time, and I saw you. Peaceful, serene, beautiful as always, as though you’ve just fallen asleep,” she wrote.
Janet shared that they “couldn’t wake Barbie up no matter how much [they] cried” and that they all saw Barbie’s husband, South Korean singer DJ Koo, giving her his final kiss goodbye.
“The sound of Oppa’s cries broke all our hearts,” said Janet.
Janet also urged everyone to give Barbie’s family more time and space to grieve, adding that she hopes to be sisters with Barbie in their next lives.