Tia Pusit dies at 66

MANILA - Comedienne Tia Pusit died on Thursday night, according to her sister Nova Villa. She was 66.

Myrna Villanueva in real life, Tia Pusit passed away at 11:30 p.m. at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City, nearly a month after she underwent double bypass surgery.

She is survived by her four children.

Villa told ABS-CBN News that Tia Pusit endured a host of medical complications, including brain hemorrhage, since her operation last September 9. She had been in the hospital since April and was battling kidney failure and aortic aneurysm.

Funeral arrangements are still being finalized by Tia Pusit's family.

In recent months, family and friends of Tia Pusit had been raising funds for the treatment of the comedienne.

A concert scheduled on October 5, organized by Tia Pusit's close friend and colleague Inday Garutay, was to shoulder expenses of her hospitalization.

Inday Garutay, whose real name is Christopher Borja, told ABS-CBN News that the show will still push through at comedy bar Zirkoh in Quezon City, but will instead have proceeds go to the funeral of Tia Pusit.

Tia Pusit was best known for her feisty comedic roles in a career spanning more than three decades.

She was last seen in "Ikaw Lamang" as Kim Chiu's nanny and confidante. -- Report from Mario Dumaual, ABS-CBN News

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Kevin Cosme' rewards Nova Villa with a smile

MANILA, Philippines – Actress Nova Villa, who for 14 years played Dolphy’s leading lady in the smash sitcom “Home along Da Riles,” flew home early Saturday morning from the US and went straight to the comedy king’s hospital room, and was rewarded with a smile.

Nova said Dolphy, who doctors said had contracted pneumonia in both lungs as of Friday night, was “very responsive” to visitors even though she and two of his children who had just flown in were separated from him by a glass panel. “He smiled, he could open his eyes, raise eyebrows. One could see his mental faculties were sharp,” she said, and surmised that the much-loved comedy icon had been cheered by the thought of having new visitors.

Nova admitted, in an ambush interview with DZBB, that she felt guilty about not having been able to visit Dolphy as soon as she wanted. “I had become so busy with a soap, a sitcom, and a trip to the US, so I decided that I’d visit him as soon as I got back.”

“Ang bigat ng loob ko na hindi ako nakakadalaw sa kanya. Kaya ngayon kahit antok antok ako from the airport, nandun ako, bumawi,” said the actress, who said it was one of the biggest honors of her career to have been handpicked by Dolphy to be his leading lady in one of his most successful TV ventures, and one of the longest sitcoms on Philippine television, “Home Along Da Riles,” and its sequel, “Home Along Da Airport.”

In “Home Along” she played Corazon Madamba, the twin sister of the late wife of Dolphy’s character Kevin Cosme. Their characters had a love-hate relationship.

When she came to see him at the Makati Medical Center on Saturday, she said she asked one child of Dolphy “to whisper to him that I’m here,” and, she said, his eyes grew a little bigger as if in recognition, and he smiled. Though separated by glass, she said that was enough response from a man to whom, she stressed, she and countless others owed so much.

“Every week [on the set of ‘Home Along’] so many things were happening; all I can say is that every week we laughed with him. Even beyond the camera, he made us laugh. He was so sweet, always had something for his co-stars,” she recalled.

Being a perfectionist as an artist, Dolphy also got angry at times when some people did not follow instructions or were slackers, Nova recalled. But he betrayed his generous heart because he always ended his scolding with a funny punchline, as if to signal that none of the scolding was “personal.”

source: interaksyon.com