Why Lloyd Cadena is a star to fan who got him on Hollywood Walk of Fame
YouTube vlogger Lloyd Cafe Cadena (Image: Instagram/@lloydcafecadena)
There is no doubt Lloyd Cadena’s personality shone bright on social media as he amassed millions of followers on multiple platforms including YouTube and Facebook.
Following his untimely death at 26, he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—a tribute from a loyal fan based in the United States, Rica Mae Tianson Domingo.
She shared her tribute to him on Facebook last Sunday, Sept. 6, her post garnering over 192,000 likes and 107,000 shares as of this writing.
🙌🏻Paying tribute to one of my mental health saviors.Lloyd has played a very big part in helping me cope up with my…
Posted by Rica Mae Tianson Domingo on Saturday, September 5, 2020
Domingo, who hails from Kalibo, Aklan, told INQUIRER.net that it was 3 a.m. in California when she heard Cadena was gone.
“Sobrang hindi ako makapaniwala hanggang sa hindi na ako nakabalik sa pagtulog (I really could not believe it, to the point that I could not go back to sleep),” she said.
An “avid fan” of his since 2011, Domingo had always wanted to meet him and his friends, vloggers Madam Ely and Madam Aivan and BNT (Bakla ng Taon) Production. She also planned to send Cadena a package once she moved to the US.
When she found out he passed away, she thought, “I felt that I needed to do something na (already) this time.”
She headed to Hollywood on the weekend of his passing and got a personalized star on the Walk of Fame, paying to have his name placed in brass letters on a star. Though the personalized name on the star is temporary, she got pictures to ensure that memories of the tribute will last.
“I paid tribute to him [through] a star [because of] everything na ginawa niya para sa kapitbahay niya, sa mga kapamilya niya, sa mga friends niya, at pati sa mga hindi niya kakilala.”
(I paid tribute to him through a star because of everything he did for his neighbors, for his family, his friends and even those he did not know.)
“Naging star siya ng mga taong iyon, kumbaga naging guide siya para unti-unti maabot din ng mga taong nasa paligid niya ang umahon sa buhay and from there na-pass on ni Lloyd yung pagtulong na ginawa niya sa mga taong ito. So these people that he helped also helped themselves and their loved ones.”
(He became a star to those people, that is to say, he became a guide so that the people around him can slowly move up in life and from there Lloyd passed on the help he gave to these people. So these people that he helped also helped themselves and their loved ones.)
‘Totoo siya sa sarili niya’
Domingo learned of Cadena on Facebook before he became a YouTube sensation, watching his videos to stave off homesickness when she moved to Manila for college.
“[Kahit] ilang ulit ko panoorin yung mga videos niya about his mom and dad umiiyak at umiiyak pa rin ako (No matter how many times I watch the videos about his mom and dad I keep crying and crying),” Domingo admitted.
She said his videos helped her deal with stress whether in school or at work. “Na ultimo ‘pag gising, hanggang sa makauwi ng bahay Lloyd lang agad ang tinatype ko sa [YouTube] search bar (From the time I wake up to when I come home I type “Lloyd” right away into the YouTube search bar).”
Image: Facebook/@LloydCafeCadena
She also felt a connection to the openly gay vlogger as she advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, even becoming an adviser of an LGBT org in CIIT Philippines.
“[Kaya] malapit ang puso ko sa kanya kasi totoong totoo siya sa sarili niya, sa family, friends, and sa lahat ng mga taong nakakapanood ng vlogs niya,” she said.
(The reason why he is close to my heart is because he is true to himself, his family, friends and all the people who watch his vlogs.)
“Hindi naging hadlang ang kanyang kasarian sa lahat ng bagay na gusto niyang gawin. Hindi ang pagiging parte ng LGBT ay walang naiaambag sa lipunan,” she said. “At hindi ang pagiging parte ng LGBT ay kasalanan.”
(His gender did not stop him from doing the things he wanted to do. Being part of the LGBT [community] does not mean not contributing to society. And being part of the LGBT [community] is not a sin.) /ra
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