Mark Gil, 52, succumbs to liver cirrhosis

CEBU, Philippines – The untimely death Monday morning of veteran actor Mark Gil left the showbiz industry shaken. Reports said the 52-year-old actor died of liver cirrhosis, a slowly progressing disease in which healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue, eventually preventing the liver from functioning properly.

Son of actors Eddie Mesa and Rosemarie Gil, Mark entered showbiz during the early 1980s and starred in a number of acclaimed films such as “Batch ’81,” “Palipat-lipat, Papalit-palit,” “Magnifico,” “Alon,” “Donsol,” “Rotonda,” and “Baby Angelo.”

The sibling of actors Michael de Mesa and Cherie Gil, Mark is also the father of GMA-7 actors Sid Lucero (real name Timothy Eigenmann) and Gabby Eigenmann, and ABS-CBN star Andi Eigenmann.

Earlier this month, Lucero clarified in a Pilipino Star Ngayon report that his father was not suffering from cancer and that he seemed to be well, except for frequent hospital visits.

Mark last appeared on television via the ABS-CBN soap opera “The Legal Wife” early this year. His last film was “The Fighting Chefs,” about a group of chefs divided into two fighting groups after learning they only have three months before they’re all fired from their restaurant.

Gabby, Mark’s son with model-actress Irene Celebre, posted a photo of himself with his father on his Instagram account, with the caption: “And so you held my hand in yours, just like you did when I was young. But then you held it to your heart just as you slowly slipped away.”

He added, “Today, I said goodbye to you, Dad. I said the last I love you that you would hear. Fly free with the Lord, fly free without pain. No worries, no problems, just love. Thank you for everything you have done for me and the family. Thank you for the legacy you have left behind. You will be forever in our hearts, till we meet again,” Gabby said. — Philstar.com