The unexpected death of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu has dealt a devastating blow to her husband, South Korean musician DJ Koo.
In a brief phone call with Korean daily Ilgan Sports, Koo, whose real name is Koo Jun-yup, reportedly struggled to contain the sadness in his voice, only managing to say: “I’m not OK.”
Hsu, who was 48, died in Japan on Feb 2 due to complications from influenza.
Her remains were transported back to Taiwan on Feb 5 following cremation in Japan. Taiwanese media spotted Koo in tears as he carried his wife’s urn into a car after arriving at Taipei Songshan Airport.
According to entertainment news portal DramaPanda, eyewitnesses at Hsu’s cremation described Koo as inconsolable.
In a social media post, Hsu’s close friend Janet Chia, chair of Taiwan’s skyscraper Taipei 101, revealed: “Koo kissed her goodbye, sobbing uncontrollably, which broke all our hearts.”
Meanwhile, Hsu’s ex-husband Wang Xiaofei has also spoken publicly about her passing.
The Chinese businessman arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Feb 2, appearing visibly exhausted and emotional.
Addressing reporters at the site, Wang, 43, urged them to say more good things about Hsu, adding: “Barbie is my family.”
According to Hong Kong news portal Dimsum Daily, Wang also shared a message about Hsu on social media, writing: “Wifey, I miss you so much.”
However, the post was later altered to omit the term “wifey” following backlash due to his current marriage to influencer Mandy Ma.
Hsu and Koo started in 1998 but broke up a year later due to their busy schedules and the no-dating rule imposed by the latter's agency at the time.
Their second chance at love came when Koo reached out to Hsu upon learning about her divorce from Wang, whom she married in November 2010.
The Meteor Garden star married Koo on Feb 8, 2022, just three months after her split from Wang.
