MANILA, Philippines — Actress Cherie Gil passed away at 5 p.m. today, talent manager and Cherie’s friend Anabelle Rama posted on Instagram. Cherie was 59.
“CHERIE GIL JUST PASSED AWAY AT 5PM TODAY PLEASE PRAY FOR HER,” Anabelle simply said.
“RIP CHERIE GIL,” she said in another Instagram story.
Her nephew, actor Sid Lucero, confirmed the sad news to GMA. Sid also posted tributes for Cherie on his Instagram.
No cause of death or other details are available as of the moment, although among the actress' last Facebook posts included a photo of what seemed to be a head that underwent operation and one that had #cancerawareness.
Last February, Gil debuted her shaved head on a magazine cover to mark her “rebirth.”
In her interview with Mega, Cherie said she had to make sure that her mental, emotional and spiritual well-being are getting the priority.
“I was getting tired of myself. And I was just so angry and unhappy, so I sold everything and packed up,” she said.
“I got rid of all the clothes I had that symbolized a past life… I’m completely finding myself and coming to terms with who I really am. It’s just great to have this opportunity and to be alive to start over. It’s like a rebirth of sorts,” she added.
She also revealed that she had therapy and counselling.
“Years and years of doing that, I learned that it just boils down to doing the hard work on and with yourself by whatever means. What’s hair di ba? It grows back. It’s symbolic to my personal growth. When a woman is in distress, she cuts her hair,” she said.
“May mga nagsasabi kasi marami akong pera but in fact, they don’t know anything. I’m just a human being. We go through the same ropes of the downs, the highs and the lows. I am not going to be surprised if I die a pauper, but I have lived a life,” she added.
Related: 'Rebirth': Cherie Gil shaves hair as she starts new life in New York
Born Evangeline Rose Gil Eigenmann, Cherie was considered as among the best actresses in the history of Philippine cinema. Although she started in show business at an early age as she belongs to the famous Eigenmann family of actors, she had her biggest breaks when she starred in the 1980 Ishmael Bernal classic “Manila By Night” then the 1982 Peque Gallaga masterpiece “Oro, Plata, Mata.”
She was best known as Lavinia Arguelles, where she said one of Philippine cinema’s most iconic lines, "You're nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat!" in “Bituing Walang Ningning,” co-starring Sharon Cuneta as Dorina.
In her career that spanned nearly 50 years, she won many awards, including Best Actress for “Mana” in Madrid International Film Festival in 2015, and Movie Supporting Actress of the Year for “Citizen Jake” at the 2019 PMPC Star Awards. She was also a celebrated theater actress and starred as iconic personalities like Diana Vreeland and Maria Callas in globally-acclaimed stage productions.
In September 2014, Cherie’s brother, also an acclaimed actor, Mark Gil, succumbed to cirrhosis of the liver, stemming from cancer of the liver, aged 52.
Cherie is survived by her parents, the "Elvis Presley of the Philippines" Eddie Mesa and actress Rosemarie Gil who are both in their 80s; her brother Michael de Mesa, who just wrapped up for the finale of top-rating ABS-CBN series "Ang Probinsyano"; Jay Eigenmann, Cherie’s son with actor Leo Martinez; and daughter Bianca and son Raphael Rogoff, her kids with former husband Roni Rogoff, a well-known violinist. Cherie was also aunt to actors Sid Lucero and Andi, Max, Geoff, Gabby and Ryan Eigenmann.