Eddie Villamayor; 56

EDDIE Villamayor

Actor Eddie Villamayor, passed away in the morning of June 27 after a lingering illness.

He was 56.

Villamayor’s sister, Superstar Nora Aunor, told the Inquirer that he had been bed-ridden for a while, after suffering a stroke in August 2015. In a previous interview, Aunor recalled that her brother Buboy (as he was known in show biz) was “a good actor.”

“I believed in his talent, so I produced movies for him, like ‘Niño Valiente’ in 1975,” Aunor said. “My only regret was that I couldn’t spend as much time with him as I wanted … after he got sick.”

Aunor would fight tooth and nail for her brother. She volunteered that she had quarreled with nurses who were remiss in their duty to care for her ailing brother.

“Guy (Aunor’s nickname) loved him so much because he was the youngest in the family,” writer and friend Baby K. Jimenez said. “She doted on him as if he was her own child. He was reserved and unassuming, though.”

Film buffs best remember Villamayor for his work in Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara’s 1976 film, “Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo,” where he portrayed Aunor’s brother who was killed by a US soldier.

His passing in the film sparked one of local cinema’s most unforgettable lines of dialogue, delivered by Aunor: “My brother is not a pig!”

“Minsa’y” producer Digna Santiago recounted: “Director Lupita was adamant in casting Eddie as Guy’s younger brother, to increase the impact on both the audience and the actors. After all, it was his character’s death that served as the film’s turning point—hence, the famous line.”

NORA Aunor produced films for her favorite brother Buboy. photos courtesy of Mercy Masangkay and Baby K. Jimenez

In 1975, Kashiwahara also directed Villamayor in “Alkitrang Dugo,” a local adaptation of the novel, “Lord of the Flies,” and produced by Aunor, as well. “He was Guy’s favorite,” Kashiwahara told the Inquirer. “She wanted him to succeed, so she produced ‘Alkitrang Dugo’ for him—a vehicle that would allow his [dramatic] gifts to shine.”

A year later, Aunor requested that Villamayor play her onscreen sibling in the classic anti-US bases film, “Minsa’y.”

“It gave authenticity to the searing scenes of grief, pain and loss,” Kashiwahara pointed out. “I remember Buboy, the teener, as a professional … who was quiet and respectful and [who] tried his very best.”

In an old magazine article, Villamayor referred to Aunor as his “discoverer.”

“Back then, Nora and Eddie were very close,” Santiago reminisced.

Jimenez related that Aunor is inconsolable upon her brother’s demise.

Last time they had a get-together for Aunor’s birthday in May, Jimenez noticed that the Superstar seemed worried about her brother’s condition. “She kept crying because Buboy couldn’t join her on her birthday.”

Aunor had just lost an older brother, Oscar, to kidney failure last year, Jimenez explained. “It is only Guy and her sister Tita who are left. But Tita is based in the United States, and is sickly, too.”

In a Facebook post, Aunor’s son Ian de Leon expressed his love for his uncle. “Thank you for the precious moments … driving around, eating out, horseback riding, swimming. Thank you for the Choc Nut, which is my favorite. You were the best uncle! We will miss you … You can now rest. No more pain. No more problems. No more tears.”

At presstime, the wake is set at Loyola Commonwealth in Quezon City.