MANILA, Philippines – Rapper-comedian Blakdyak was found dead in his condominium unit Monday night, an apparent suicide.
The Manila Police District yesterday ruled out foul play in the death of the 46-year-old entertainer, real name Joey Formaran, who popularized 1990s novelty songs “Modelong Charing,” “Good Boy,” “Magic Kapote” and “Asin at Paminta.”
Formaran was found with his head wrapped in a plastic bag at his condominium unit on Dapitan street in Sampaloc at past 6 p.m.
Senior Police Officer 1 Lester Evangelista, homicide investigator, said Formaran died from “asphyxia thru smothering” and there were no signs indicating he was forced to put the plastic bag on his head.
It was possible that the victim took “downers” and drank before committing suicide, he said.
“We saw a bottle of Chivas Regal inside his bathroom, but there were a lot of bottles in the kitchen. He was alone in the room and it was only when he failed to answer the calls from his wife that they began worrying and his 12-year-old son Tomi forcibly opened the door,” Evangelista told The STAR.
He said that based on what they saw Formaran could have been dead for more than three hours before he was discovered.
Evangelista said the rapper could have taken his life because of depression.
Formaran, who was one of the country’s most bankable rappers, had been in trouble with the law, particularly with the Quezon City Police District, for drug-related offenses.
He also made headlines after figuring in bar brawls.
Formaran also served time for disturbing the peace in Mandaluyong City and had often been in trouble with women tenants in the Manila condominium for flashing and “other misdemeanors,” according to a tenant.
Apolonio Bernabe, condominium caretaker, said he saw Formaran hours before he was found dead walking half-naked and looking lost in the building hallway.
The Filipino-Barbadosian Formaran was married to Twinkle Estanislao. They have four children.
Estanislao said while they had been separated for one year, they kept in touch and there were no problems with his career since his bar gigs came one after another, ABS-CBN reported.
However, an unnamed friend said Formaran wanted to do shows out of town and his former friends and colleagues were avoiding him, according to ABS-CBN.