Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. INQUIRER file photo
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said he was “emotionally distraught” following the news of OPM legend Rico J. Puno’s sudden death.
READ: BREAKING: Singer Rico Puno dead at 65
“Kapalaran! I’m emotionally [distraught],” Sotto said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “We started calling him ‘the total entertainer’ even from his Spindle days.”
Sotto said Puno was not only a great singer, but he was “witty and all.”
The senator recalled how the elite in the society did not care about OPM until Puno’s emergence in the industry: “Before his emergence in the local music industry in 1975-76, the elite in society did not care much about OPMs.”
“Seldom would you find a local pop singer’s album in their homes,” he added.
Sotto also said Puno’s songs paved the way for OPM to be accepted in the society at the time: “It was the songs and albums of Rico we produced and released that paved the way for the Filipino artist to be accepted in high society then.”
“Rico will now be performing for a far Greater Audience. Goodbye my Friend,” he said.
Puno entered the entertainment industry after being signed to Vicor Records, now Vicor Music, where Sotto was an executive producer before he entered politics.
Puno’s first record here was “Love Won’t Let Me Wait,” while his first album was “The Way We Were.” /jpv
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