Dee Hsu spoke about her regret towards her late sister, actress-host Barbie Hsu, in her talk show Dee Girls Talk broadcast on April 20.
The 47-year-old Taiwanese host told her longtime collaborator Kevin Tsai that she had initiated the trip to Japan in 2025, where Barbie caught the flu and subsequently died.
“Usually, Barbie would say she was tired and not want to go. But this time, she insisted we must go,” she recounted.
Dee also shared that their mum had initially objected to the trip because it was during the Chinese New Year period when flight prices would be higher and there would be more crowds.
However, she said she and Barbie as well as their eldest sister Shi-hsien had insisted on going because they wanted to spend time together.
It was also a period when their children were able to travel with them.
Dee added: “I was the one who initiated the trip first. So, whenever we miss Barbie and talk about her, I would tell my mum, ‘It’s all because I insisted on the trip then.’
“Whenever I say that, my mum would tell me not to think about it this way and blame myself because it would be harder for me to move on. But this is the fact, so I can’t help but wonder, ‘Why didn’t I listen to my mum at the time?'”
Barbie died from pneumonia on Feb 2, 2025, at the age of 48 while vacationing in Japan. She was cremated there with her ashes transported back to Taiwan on Feb 5.
Best known for her performances in Taiwanese idol dramas including Meteor Garden (2001 – 2002) and Corner with Love (2007), Barbie’s final resting place is at Chin Pao San Cemetery in New Taipei. She is survived by her husband, South Korean singer-DJ Koo Jun-yup, and two children with her ex-husband Wang Xiaofei.
Dee also told Kevin, 64, that she wasn’t able to completely isolate herself and grieve privately because she has to take care of her mother and her family, including her businessman husband and their youngest daughter Alice.
She added that she got drunk occasionally, which scared Alice.
“I thought then that I can’t show such behaviour in front of my daughter, because it would scare her and she needs me to be well, so I have to bottle up my emotions,” Dee shared.
Kevin also asked if she has found alternate ways to manage her grief, and she said she watches dramas and find tasks which she can concentrate on.
“At the time, I hoped I could sleep constantly… I didn’t want to wake up and face the world,” she added.
[[nid:734155]]
No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
Read the full article here
