‘She was my wife, partner, best friend’—Albert Martinez

Actor Albert Martinez pays tribute to his wife, Liezl, in his Instagram post on Saturday, March 14, 2015. SOCIAL MEDIA SCREENGRAB

MANILA, Philippines – Actor Albert Martinez has paid tribute to his wife, former child star and actress Liezl, who died Saturday after battling lung cancer.

“She was my wife, my partner, my best friend,” said Martinez of Liezl on his Instagram post a few hours after she quietly passed away at 6:15 a.m.

BACK STORY: Actress Liezl Martinez, wife of actor Albert Martinez, passes away

The actor recalled their life together saying, “We grew up together. We raised a family together.”

He praised Liezl for being “a wonderful mother who devoted her entire life to our children.
I have three wonderful kids because of her.”

As a spouse, Martinez said of Liezl: “She was a supportive wife, who stood beside me in every endeavor, big or small. I am grateful to her. I owe everything to her.”

In the end, the celebrity widower declared: “I have a successful career and happy home life because of my wife Liezl.”

Last week, Martinez recalled the trip he and Liezl did to Spain by posting a picture of their visit to Barcelona in 2013.

With the post was a birthday greeting by the actor hoping for more happy memories with his wife.

Martinez wrote: “#Barcelona2013 ..advance Happy Birthday @liezlmartinez .. Next #Hawaii2015!”

Liezl would have turned 48 on March 27.

READ: How Albert Martinez helps Liezl battle illness

Her remains lie at the Heritage Memorial Chapels in Fort Bonifacio.

Liezl had battled cancer for seven years. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2008. She underwent mastectomy and intense chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

For a while, she seemed to have beaten the odds. In 2011, however, doctors told her that cancer had recurred and metastasized to her left lung.