On February 3, Barbie Hsu’s family announced that the actress had passed away due to pneumonia caused by influenza during a trip to Japan.
According to the tour guide who allegedly accompanied Barbie Hsu’s family, the actress had symptoms like coughing and asthma upon arrival in Japan and visited the hot springs in Hakone that evening. She remained unwell on January 30 and 31, staying in her hotel. On January 31, as her condition worsened, an ambulance took her to the hospital, but she returned to the hotel late at night. On February 1, she visited a small local hospital, but they referred her to a larger hospital after diagnosing her with Influenza A and prescribing medication.
The guide stated that Barbie Hsu and her party headed to Tokyo on February 1, but she did not seek further medical treatment there.
“She could have gone to the hospital, but she didn’t. By midnight, her condition took a drastic turn, and an ambulance was called to rush her to the hospital. By 7 AM (Japan time) on February 2, she had passed away”, they said.
Although this account has not been confirmed by her family, it has been widely circulated online, with netizens lamenting that if she had been taken to a major hospital sooner, her condition might not have deteriorated so severely.
Responding to this, former legislator Guo Zhengliang expressed deep regret after analyzing the case, believing she missed the critical 48-hour window for treatment. In particular, he commented, “Hakone has a population of only 10,000, so naturally, its medical resources are limited. This may have been a careless oversight.”
He also noted that for Influenza A, the high fever phase typically lasts 3-4 days. “If someone’s health is already weak, complications such as pneumonia or myocarditis could arise. We don’t know if myocarditis was involved, but it can be very serious. Either way, her symptoms were severe.”
Guo emphasized that doctors generally consider the first 48 hours after flu onset as the “golden window” for treatment. If antiviral medication isn’t taken in the first two days, symptoms can worsen based on the patient’s constitution.
“Barbie Hsu’s health has always been fragile—she’s delicate and frail. She always appeared physically weak, and that certainly played a role in her condition”, the former legislator further stated.
Guo admitted he was shocked by the news of her sudden death, calling it unimaginable. “They weren’t in a developing country—they were in Japan. But many of Japan’s most famous scenic spots are in areas with low populations.”
He concluded, “Hakone is only 80 kilometers from Tokyo. If she had been sent to Tokyo earlier, she might have been fine. By the fourth day, she was likely unconscious and couldn’t be moved, but in those first three days, there was still a chance. It only takes an hour to get to Tokyo… but sadly, it was an unfortunate oversight. It’s truly heartbreaking.”
On the other hand, there are also discussions that Barbie Hsu’s death can also be attributed to the issues with the hospital system in Japan.