Sylvia Sanchez, Lotlot de Leon: ‘Tita Angge’ more than just a manager

Cornelia “Angge” Lee. FILE PHOTO

“She held on as much as she could,” said actress Lotlot de Leon of her former talent manager Cornelia “Tita Angge” Lee who passed away on Thursday night.

Lee, who died around 9:20 p.m. at her home in Antipolo City, had been in coma since March 4, 2016. She was 70 years old.

READ: Talent manager ‘Tita Angge’ dies at 70

“I had hoped that she would eventually wake up,” De Leon told the Inquirer on Friday, adding that for her, Lee “was more than a manager. She was like a mother to me.”

However, Sylvia Sanchez, also a talent of Lee, said she didn’t think the latter could have recovered from the coma. “We were only hoping for a miracle. For a long time, Tita A depended on a ventilator. The machine functioned for 60 percent, while her body, only 40 percent,” Sanchez explained.

Last year, Lee was brought to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan when she complained of chest pain after watching a movie. She was pronounced dead on arrival but was later revived by doctors.

BACKSTORY: Talent manager ‘Angge’ critical after ‘massive’ heart attack

Two weeks ago, Sanchez said Lee’s daughters Imelda and Peng brought her to the hospital again to have her checked. “It was then that the doctors said there was nothing more they could do,” Sanchez recalled. “Her loved ones held on to her for as long as they could. It’s easy for us outsiders to say that Tita A should have been made to rest a long time ago, but when faced with the same situation–God forbid–we would probably do the same thing.”

Lee’s remains lie at the Arlington Memorial Chapels (Halls B and C), on Araneta Avenue, Quezon City until Tuesday, March 7. Mass will be celebrated at 7 p.m. every night. The memorial service will be at 8 a.m. at the Manila South Cemetery on South Avenue, Makati City on Wednesday, March 8.

Sanchez said Lee considered her as the “eldest daughter.” She then recalled the promise she and Lee made to each other a few years back. “That the one who gets left behind will make sure that the family of the other will be okay,” Sanchez said. “I’ve always been in touch with her daughters since Tita A got hospitalized. This is me fulfilling my promise to her.”

Lee was a popular comedienne in the 1970s. She entered show business via the Pablo Santiago film “Continental Playboy.” She also played roles on radio and television dramas, and much later, production work for ABS-CBN programs like “Angelito Batang Ama” (2011), “Walang Hanggan” (2012) and “Aryana” (2012).