As a diligent artist who remained active on screen into her elderly years, Xie's biggest-budget works in her later career include The Chinese Widow, a World War II-themed film directed by Oscar-winning Danish director Bille August.

In 2015 and 2016, Xie received two lifetime achievement awards — the 15th Film Performance Art Academy Award and the 33rd Hundred Flowers Award, which honored her outstanding contributions to China's film industry.

Li Haiping, Xie's daughter-in-law, said that Xie passed away from a heart attack and multiple organ failure. Li also mentioned that Xie was serene when she passed, reported Beijing Daily.

Pan Yilin, a veteran TV anchor and filmmaker, told China Daily that he has known Xie for 28 years. He first visited her home in 1996 for the talk show Liujin Suiyue (Gone the Golden Years), which debuted on CCTV-6 that year and focused on reviewing classic movies.

"She was seated in front of a piano and her hair was deep black. She sometimes played the piano at home to relax," Pan recalled, adding that his most memorable impression was the deep love between Xie and her late husband Zhang Mu, who passed away at 92 in 2022.