Karl Roy: Death claims hardworking, hard-living rock singer

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino rock singer Karl Roy, who died at 1 a.m. Tuesday, will always be remembered for his kinetic performances with his former bands Advent Call, P.O.T. and Kapatid, including awe-inspiring onstage jams with the likes of Joey “Pepe” Smith and dozens of musician friends.

“I will always remember Karl when Advent Call was the hardest-working band back in the day, sometimes playing seven fiery sets a night. Rest in peace, Karl,” said Raimund Marasigan, former Eraserheads drummer and currently Sandwich frontman.

“He was fun to jam with, although at the back of my mind I worried about him,” revealed Cooky Chua, lead singer of Color It Red. “I won’t forget the times when, while drinking, he would seek advice on how to manage his life. He was an excellent performer. Peter Pan.”

Roy was known to have constantly courted danger with his rock and roll lifestyle, which took a toll when he suffered a stroke in 2007.

He had slowly recovered, but last Sunday, he was back in the hospital and was put in ICU (intensive care unit), said his manager Pam Lunar.