TAIPEI - Renowned Taiwan actress 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.

Familiar by the nickname "Big S", Hsu died on a family holiday in Japan, said sister Dee Hsu, in news that became the most searched item on the Chinese mainland's Weibo microblogging service.

"My dearest and most kindhearted sister Barbie Hsu died of influenza-induced pneumonia and unfortunately left us," Dee, known as Little S, said in a statement.

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"I was grateful to be her sister in this life and that we got to care for and spend time with each other. I will always be grateful to her and miss her!"

The sisters first found fame with their pop group S.O.S, but Hsu's leading role in the romantic soap Meteor Garden cemented her popularity.

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She was married to Korean rapper Koo Jun-yup "DJ Koo" for nearly three years after ending an 11-year marriage with entrepreneur Wang Xiaofei. She is survived by two children.