Birthday greetings for Rico Yan flood social media
Happy birthday, Rico.
Late matinee idol Rico Yan would have celebrated his 43rd birthday today. Sixteen years after his passing, Rico’s family and fans still remember the special day of their idol.
Rico’s older sister, Tina Marie Yan posted a photo of her late younger brother with her child.
Fan pages on social media such as @ricoyanclaudine on Instagram was flooded with old photos and dedications for the actor.
Another fan page carrying the handle @ricoyan_claudinebarretto recently posted a screen grab of the actor from a famous scene in one of his most iconic movies, “Mahal na Mahal Kita” with his last girlfriend, actress Claudine Barretto.
Posted two days ago, the post was captioned, “Lapit na birthday mo.” (Your birthday is near)
Meanwhile, Barretto has not posted a memorabilia of her late ex-boyfriend yet. However, just today, she uploaded a photo of an early morning mass that she attended. Netizens then thought that the mass might be in commemoration of the actor’s birthday.
Rico was born on March 14, 1975 to parents Roberto Yan Sr. and Teresita Castro Yan. He came from a family of soldiers and businessmen. Business was naturally in his roots as he owned Orbitz Pearl Shakes, Java Hut, Buddy Burger, Timbuktu Cafe and Tequila Joe Grill and Restaurants.
A perfect combination of good looks and brains, Rico first secured a degree in business in Marketing Management from the De La Salle University in 1997 before he officially went full-time in his showbiz career.
He first started as a commercial model after he was discovered by a talent scout while he was lining up at a fast food joint where he was studying.
After acing his commercial stint he was then offered a career on television which he accepted. He then became part of ABS-CBN’s stars then called Star Circle. He belonged in its first batch.
Since then, he had been a sought-after actor in movies and television. In 1996, he played the boy-next-door character of Ricky Salveron in ‘90s defunct teen-oriented show “Gimik.” It was there where he was paired with then teen actress Judy Ann Santos.
But it was in the primetime drama “Mula Sa Puso” where he was honed as a leading man and a drama actor playing the character of Gabriel Maglayon. He top-billed the series along with Barretto which started their real-life romance.
His television success also translated into box-office hit movies. Among his films were “Radio Romance” in 1996, “Madrasta” in 1996, “Flames: The Movie” in 1997, “Dahil Mahal na Mahal Kita” in 1998 and his last movie was “Got 2 Believe” in 2002.
However, on March 22, he was found dead by his friend Dominic Ochoa at the Dos Palmas Resort in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan. His sudden death blanketed the entire nation with grief and disbelief.
Now, 16 years later, Rico’s memory still lives on.
Photo credits: Rico Yan. Image: Instagram/@ricoyan_claudinebarretto
