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 aged 48, her sister said on Monday.

Taiwanese actor Barbie Hsu, one of the most prominent stars in the Chinese-speaking world, has died of a flu-related illness at age 48, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported Monday, citing her sister.

Barbie Hsu, a Taiwanese actress who starred in the popular TV drama “Meteor Garden” that once swept Asia, died after contracting pneumonia triggered by the flu. She was 48. Hsu, better known as “Da S” which means “Big S,