Pilita Corrales died in her sleep, Jackie Lou Blanco, Ramon Christopher say
Pilita Corrales. Image: Instagram/@pilitacorrales
The late Pilita Corrales, who was dubbed Asia’s Queen of Songs, died peacefully in her sleep with no lingering illness, according to her children, Jackie Lou Blanco and Ramon Christopher “Monching” Gutierrez.
Blanco and Gutierrez looked back at Corrales’ final moments in an interview with ABS-CBN News on Monday, April 14, where Blanco admitted that she’s grateful that her mother didn’t struggle in her last days.
“She died in her sleep, actually — which I am very thankful for. Because hindi na nahirapan. Hindi [siya] na-hospital, hindi siya lingering illness, diba? So, parang sa akin, okay na ‘yun (She didn’t have a hard time. She wasn’t rushed to the hospital. She didn’t have a lingering illness, right? So for me, that is okay),” she said.
When asked if Corrales ever had a “lingering illness,” the half-siblings shared that the singer always had a “heart problem” and her memory has been dwindling, but she has always been “okay.”
“Mommy always had a heart problem ever since,” Blanco said.
While agreeing with his half sister, Gutierrez said, “Lately, ‘yung memory, pero healthwise, okay naman siya (She had memory problems lately. But health-wise, she is okay).”
Blanco and Gutierrez also shared that they were informed of Corrales’ death at around 2 a.m. on April 12, saying they received a call from her husband, Carlos Lopez, and an unidentified half-sibling.
“But we don’t know if she had a [heart] attack during her sleep. I mean, I don’t know. I mean, and it doesn’t matter na naman if that’s the ano. Hindi na namin inalam (if that was indeed the cause. We didn’t delve into the details),” Blanco said, noting that the family opted not to probe into the exact cause of Corrales’ death.
The “Kadenang Kristal” star, who hugged Gutierrez at one point during the interview, became emotional in her final message to Corrales, saying she will honor the singer with how she will live her life.
“I will continue to honor her by the way I work, by the way I live, by telling people how wonderful she is. And just to say thank you, thank you so much for bringing me up, [Mon and I], in the best way that she could. We will miss her so much. I will miss how wonderful she smelled. She smelled so good, no? She always smelled so good,” she said.
Corrales, 85, died on Saturday, April 12. She is one of the most notable singers in the Philippines, and is widely celebrated for her vocal range, sweet voice, and knack for captivating audiences of multiple generations.
Her cremated remains will be placed at the Heritage Park in Taguig until Wednesday, April 16. — Hannah Mallorca
