Dee Hsu Celebrates Late Sister Barbie Hsu’s Birthday At Her Grave: “Next Year, I’ll Be Older Than Her”

There are some birthdays that are especially hard to celebrate.

Yesterday (Oct 6) would have been late Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu’s 50th birthday, and her family and close friends gathered at her grave at Chin Pao San Cemetery in New Taipei to mark the occasion.

Her younger sister Dee Hsu, 48, shared several photos from the intimate gathering, which was attended by their mum, Barbie’s husband, South Korean singer DJ Koo, 57, as well as celeb pals, singer Christine Fan and Blackie Chen.

Barbie passed away at the age of 48 from influenza-related pneumonia while holidaying in Japan with her family in February 2025.

Despite the sombre occasion, the group made sure it still felt like a birthday celebration.

Barbie’s grave was surrounded by a sea of pink flowers, with cake, food and champagne laid out for her. A bowl of seaweed soup could also be seen on her tombstone.

Seaweed soup is traditionally eaten on birthdays in South Korea, leading Taiwanese media to speculate that DJ Koo had prepared it for his late wife.

“Today is my sister’s 48th birthday. Of course we had to come celebrate with her,” wrote Dee. Though Barbie would have turned 50 this year, 48 was the age she was when she died.

“We brought her favourite champagne and cake, and sat beside her, crying and laughing as we talked about our stories and how much we miss her.”

And, in true Barbie fashion, even the weather apparently had a flair for the dramatic.

“The wind and rain kept coming and going, and by the end we were all freezing to death. Very much my sister’s style,” Dee joked.

She ended her post with a line that hit particularly hard: “Next year, I’ll be older than her. Then I’ll have a superstar little sister — Barbie Hsu.”

In another clip, Dee and the group were seen gathered around Barbie’s grave singing ‘You Are My Sunshine’.

Many fans and friends left comments wishing Barbie a happy birthday, while some recalled her famous aversion to birthday celebrations.

“She’s probably up in heaven saying, ‘Hsu Hsi-Di (Dee’s Chinese name), you’re really asking for a beating. You know I don’t like celebrating my birthday!’” joked one fan, adding that “only true fans would get the reference”.

Another could practically picture Barbie’s reaction: “She’d definitely be covering her face with both hands, looking like she was about to cry.”

Barbie’s pal, former actress Pace Wu, chimed in: “She really didn’t like celebrating her birthday! Xiyuan, we love and miss you. Happy birthday! You’ll forever be someone we can never forget. BFF!”

Others were concerned about DJ Koo, with one commenting: “Oppa looks like he’s aged so much from the grief.”

Another wrote: “He’s lost so much weight too.”