Some young celebrities were just starting out or at the peak of their careers when their lives were cut short.
Here are some famous names who were gone too soon:
1. April Love Jordan (April 10, 1988 – June 21, 2019)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzCS1H6Ao2T/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The local pageant community is mourning the death of former Miss World Philippines 2012 3rd princess April Love Jordan. She died at the age of 31 on June 21, 2019, due to liver cancer. Aside from her successful stint in Miss World Philippines, April won in the 2009 International Beauty & Model Festival. She also joined a number of local beauty pageants. April’s remains lie at the Heritage Park Memorial Chapels in Taguig City.
2. Maria Bulaklak Ausente (March 13, 2019)
https://www.instagram.com/p/JfkX3Sj72I/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Friends and colleagues from the media paid tribute to former GMA News field reporter Maria Bulaklak Ausente who passed away last March 13, 2019. She died at the tender age of 32. The Igbaras-born journalist let go of her reporter duties after being diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease in 2012. She also received a kidney transplant in 2016 but continued to need treatment.
3. Rico Yan (March 14, 1975 – March 29, 2002)
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Rico Yan was one of the most bankable actors of his generation. When news of his sudden death broke out, the nation was in shock. At the age of 27, he died of cardiac arrest in his sleep caused by acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis (known locally as “bangungot”) while on vacation in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan in 2002. It was his friend Dominic Ochoa who found him lifeless inside his hotel room. He starred in several movies with his ex-girlfriend, Claudine Barretto.
4. Julie Vega (May 21, 1968 – May 6, 1985)
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Julie Vega was an admired actress and singer during her generation. Shortly after graduating from high school, Julie was diagnosed with a disease that attacked her nervous system and contracted bronchopneumonia that left the young actress severely weakened. She then died due to cardiac arrest on May 6, 1985, at the age of 16. Julie played the role of a demon-possessed girl in the Akin Ang Walang Diyos episode of Lovingly Yours Helen, The Movie back in 1984. This role and its possible supernatural implications were some of the possible reasons how some fans tried to explain her sudden death.
5. AJ Perez (February 17, 1993 – April 17, 2011)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhrI6BDAfuo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Filipino teenage heartthrob AJ Perez was being groomed by his home network to become one of their top leading men but unfortunately, his career came to an abrupt end. While en route home after a show in Dagupan, the van AJ was on collided with a bus in the midnight of April 17, 2011. He was declared dead on arrival and autopsy reports show that his broken ribs punctured his heart and lungs.He died at the age of 18. He played lead characters in the 2009 miniseries Your Song Presents: Underage and Sabel.
6. Miko Sotto (May 10, 1982 – December 29, 2003)
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Miko Sotto was known as a matinee idol and a budding actor who belonged to the prominent Sotto clan. His death came as a surprise as he fell from the ninth floor of his condominium in Mandaluyong before dawn on December 23, 2003. At the time, he was with cousin Oyo Boy Sotto and two other friends and according to reports, he was sitting on the railings of the balcony and when he tried to get down, his foot got caught in a plant box thus causing him to lose his balance and fall. He died at the age of 21. Miko’s mother Ali Sotto then donated his corneas to the Eye Bank of the Philippines.His death was deeply mourned by Angel Locsin, who was his girlfriend at the time.
7. Marky Cielo (May 12, 1988 – December 7, 2008)
https://www.instagram.com/p/yi5WIxhyND/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Marky Cielo was the first Igorot to enter the showbiz industry and the first Ultimate Sole Survivor of the reality talent competition StarStruck. During his two-year career, he was able to star in several television shows and in one film. A few years after his monumental win, Marky’s mother found the 20-year-old actor lifeless in his room at their home in Antipolo on December 7, 2008. To this day, not much is known about the details surrounding his demise but according to medical reports, he died of acute pancreatitis.
8. Julia Buencamino (December 5, 1999 – July 7, 2015)
https://www.instagram.com/p/2AFxCiIsGd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
She was an actress, known for Mother Nanny (2006), Sandalang Bahay (2005) and Oh My G! ( 2015).The household help of the Buencamino family found Julia hanging from a nylon rope inside their bathroom on July 7, 2015. A few days later, a suicide note surfaced from the 15-year-old girl’s Tumblr account. In the note, Julia admitted to identifying herself as transgender and nonbinary. Sadly, in various studies done by LGBT groups, the suicide rate among LGBT youth is higher than that of the general population.
9. Ramgen Revilla (February 12, 1988 – October 29, 2011)
https://www.instagram.com/p/RUvSU2B_vK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Ramgen Revilla, son of Ramon Revilla Sr., was murdered at the age of 23 in their family home on October 28, 2011. He sustained 11 stab wounds and a shot to the chest from a masked assailant. At the time of the murder, he was with girlfriend Janelle Manahan and younger sister Ramona Bautista. Much controversy surrounded his death leading many to suspect some of his family members of committing the crime. He was known for his roles in various Filipino television series including his role as Jeff Gatdula in Tonyong Bayawak.
10. Jam Sebastian (20 March 1986 – 4 March 2015)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BChFZVMpvLa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
One half of the popular YouTube sensation and love team “JaMich,” Jam Sebastian was slowly but surely inching his way to mainstream success. Unfortunately, his road to success was halted when he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Jam’s fiancée Mich Liggayu, together with his over 600,000 subscribers, was with him all the way until his death on March 4, 2015 at the age of 28.
11. Tyron Perez (September 14, 1985 – December 29, 2011)
https://www.instagram.com/p/NRFAiEvbS8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Tyron Perez entered showbiz as a contestant of the first batch of the reality talent show StarStruck. He moved to ABS-CBN in June of 2010 where he was last seen playing the role of Gilbert in Mula Sa Puso and Gary in the fantasy-drama Momay. Tyron, 26, was found dead inside an abandoned car with a gunshot wound to his head and after investigations, police ruled the manner of death as a suicide. It was reported that a gambling debt may have led the actor to kill himself.
12. Claudia Zobel (27 February 1965 – 10 February 1984)
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Claudia Zobel was discovered at a party in 1982 and from then on, the young actress starred in various sexy films and won multiple awards. Known for Sinner or Saint (1984), Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (1984), and Bandido sa Sapang Bato (1981).Her promising career ended abruptly when the car she was driving figured in a car accident less than seventeen days short of her 19th birthday. Her body was exhumed nearly 30 years after her death to have her skeleton put in her father’s coffin, but, the body was found nearly completely intact.
13. Halina Perez (December 11, 1981 – March 4, 2004)
https://www.instagram.com/p/ethu4em5xS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Much like Claudia Zobel, Halina Perez was another promising young actress who starred in sexy films and comedies. Halina appeared in over 10 films during her brief career. On the way home from an event, the van she was in had a head-on collision with a truck on March 4, 2004. She died at the age of 22. Perez’s manager Isah Munio also died at the scene.
14. Franco Hernandez (April 1, 1991 – November 11, 2017)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbOpI21hJ4t/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Franco Hernandez was slowly gaining popularity as a member of the Kapamilya boy dance group, Hashtags.However, the Hashtags member drowned in an accident while at sea and was declared dead on arrival at the age of 26 when he was taken to the nearest clinic. He was then vacationing in Davao Occidental with his girlfriend and friends.
15. Chef Hasset Go (August 8, 1986 – October 24, 2015)
https://www.instagram.com/p/7JpQJIIz86/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Chef Hasset Go was a celebrity chef and entrepreneur who often appeared on shows like Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho. He was also among the Top 50 Young Entrepreneurs of Go Negosyo and was given Young Achiever award for Culinary by Global Excellence. Sadly, the celebrity chef passed away in October 2015 when he lost his battle with liver cancer and died at the age of 29. His brother Rowden Go suffered the same fate in the year 2014. His younger brother Hisham would also die of the same disease in 2017.
16. Christian Pasno (May 13, 2018)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi-hHOqAq0L/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The death of The Voice Kids Season 2 semifinalist Christian Pasno came as a shock to many. Christian, the promising performer who wowed the Philippines with his singing prowess, died in a tragic motorcycle accident on May 13, 2018, at the age of 13. Based on several news reports, the accident occurred in Barangay Mabalanoy in San Juan, Batangas. Because he was not wearing a helmet, Christian suffered severe traumatic brain damage.
17. TJ Cruz (October 22,1981 – November 21,2018)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byj8DCZJbpq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
TJ Cruz, the eldest son of Tirso Cruz III passed away on November 21, 2018, at the age of 37 after his battle with lymphatic cancer. This news shocked many celebrities. He first appeared in the children’s show, Ang TV. TJ also appeared in some movies like Rollerboys (1995) and Eskapo (1995).
