Taiwanese singer Christine Fan has come under fire following her husband Blackie Chen’s recent health scare on Sept 15, with some netizens accusing her of making insensitive comments involving late actress Barbie Hsu.
The 49-year-old Taiwanese former TV host experienced tightness in his chest earlier that day and was rushed to National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) for treatment after it was found he had a myocardial infarction, or heart attack.
His 50-year-old wife, also known by her nickname FanFan, reportedly rushed to the hospital upon learning the news.
Speaking to Taiwanese media afterwards, the mother of two revealed that Blackie had originally planned to fly to Nagoya, Japan, with their children for a business meeting.
“I told him he wasn’t allowed to go,” she added. “Thank goodness he didn’t go (to Japan). Otherwise, he would have ended up like Barbie Hsu… It really scared me!”
Barbie died at the age of 48 in February last year from pneumonia caused by complications from the flu on a family trip to Japan. She was cremated in Japan and her ashes transported back to Taiwan on a private flight on Feb 5.
Christine’s remark quickly sparked backlash online.
In the comments section of an Instagram post by a Taiwanese newspaper, one netizen said: “So it’s a good thing he didn’t go (to Japan) but why specifically mention Barbie?
“That’s undoubtedly rubbing salt into the wounds of her family. Why not mention who went out socialising while sick with the flu back then? Don’t they know how Barbie caught the flu in the first place?”
Another wrote: “You still have to bring up Barbie Hsu at a time like this? Is it to highlight how lucky your husband is? Who was it that gave her the flu back then?
“Good people die young, yet the wicked live for a thousand years.”
Other netizens reportedly wrote Christine should learn how to speak properly, and not to make use of the dead.
Christine and Blackie were previously accused of spreading the flu to Barbie at a wedding prior to the latter’s trip.
According to a report by TVBS, Christine reportedly posted a message from her doctor in response, stating she was no longer contagious at the time of the wedding, but the post was revised multiple times before being deleted.
In an Instagram post today (Sept 17), Blackie shared that what started as tightness in his chest and “excruciating pain” in his back turned out to be “a brush with death”.
He initially went to Chung Shan Hospital for a check-up but was later transferred to the emergency room at NTUH, where he underwent an emergency heart stent procedure.
A heart stent is a tiny, expandable metal mesh tube that is placed inside a blocked coronary artery to keep it open and restore blood flow.
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“The entire process – from getting out of the ambulance to the end of the surgery – took only about 90 minutes,” he wrote, adding that he was transferred from the Intensive Care Unit to a regular ward today.
He explained that he had suffered a classic acute myocardial infarction, in which one of his blood vessels was completely blocked.
Stressing the importance of sufficient sleep, he also expressed his gratitude to the medical team as well as his wife, family and friends.
“You held my hand tightly during my most vulnerable moments, keeping fear at bay and giving me the courage to face life’s challenges.
“Thank you to everyone who left messages, sent positive energy and prayed for me; I am grateful for all your blessings and companionship,” he said.
“This experience was a wake-up call from God. You can work hard and play sports later, but there is no ‘overtime’ when it comes to your health.”
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esther.lam@asiaone.com
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