MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American actor Nico Santos is mourning the loss of his stepfather who succumbed to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“My Tito Sonny passed away yesterday after losing his battle with COVID-19,” Santos said in an Instagram post on Sunday.
He then remembered his stepfather Sonny as “a kind, caring man,” and was “friendly to a fault.”
“He always greeted strangers walking past him with a chipper ‘Good Morning!’ and a big smile,” Santos said of Sonny. “He had a great laugh that filled the room with joy.”
Aside from Sonny, Santos also said that his mother, Tita, is also battling COVID-19.
“The loss of my stepfather is devastating but what has gutted me is that this pandemic has kept my family apart,” Santos expressed. “We were unable to be with him during his last days.”
“I can’t hold my mother as she mourns her husband. I can’t hug my brother as he contemplates a world without his father,” he added. “I can’t wipe away the tears from my nephews’ eyes as they wonder why their Lolo Sonny isn’t here anymore.”
The COVID-19 disease has infected around 680,500 people worldwide, as well as claimed the lives of almost 32,000.
Santos is also known as Mateo Liwanag in the NBC series “Superstore.”