MANILA, Philippines – 2025 was a 12 months of triumphs and celebrations, nevertheless it was additionally a 12 months marked by the lack of a number of the greatest names in numerous fields at dwelling and overseas.
The 12 months noticed musicians sing their final tune, actors grace the display one final time, and writers pen their final sentences.
Under is Rappler’s record of native and worldwide figures whose deaths made headlines in 2025.
Native celebrities, artists
Freddie Aguilar
Ferdinand Pascual Aguilar, identified higher as Freddie Aguilar, was a Filipino people songwriter and OPM icon greatest identified for his rendition of the patriotic anthem “Bayan Ko,” which grew to become the unofficial anthem of the anti-Marcos dictatorship motion which culminated within the 1986 Individuals Energy Revolution that ended the Marcos regime.
His music was a staple in Filipino tradition, with songs like “Anak,” “Himig,” “Minamahal Kita,” “Alaala,” and extra making a convincing impression within the native music scene. “Anak” was a world hit, and had been translated in a number of languages.
Aguilar died on Could 27, on the age of 72.
Hajji Alejandro
Hajji Alejandro, identified throughout his heyday because the “Kilabot ng mga Kolehiyala (school ladies’ heartthrob),” was an OPM legend identified for his songs corresponding to “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika,” “Panakip-Butas,” and “Tag-araw, Tag-Ulan,” to call a couple of.
Music ran deep in Hajji’s blood, as his kids additionally pursued careers within the arts. His daughter, Rachel, grew to become an acclaimed singer-actress, and his son, Ali, grew to become an artist, too.
Hajji died on April 21, after a battle with colon most cancers. He was 70.
Emman Atienza
Emman Atienza was a social media persona and the daughter of TV host Kim Atienza and Felicia Hung-Atienza, president of the Philippine Eagle Basis. She was famend for her ardour for style and the humanities, in addition to her advocacy for psychological well being.
Atienza died on October 22, on the age of 19.
Nora Aunor
Nora Aunor, the “Famous person” of Philippine leisure, was a Nationwide Artist for Movie and Broadcast Arts whose five-decade profession helped form Philippine cinema. Recognized for highly effective performances in movies corresponding to Himala, Bona, and Thy Womb, amongst many others, she appeared in additional than 200 motion pictures.
She was the mom of Ian de Leon, and actresses Lotlot and Matet de Leon.
Known as “Ate Man,” Aunor was additionally a recording artist who launched classics corresponding to “Pearly Shells,” “Maria Leonora Theresa,” and “Dandansoy,” amongst others.
Aunor died on April 16, on the age of 71. She was laid to relaxation on the Libingan ng mga Bayani on April 22, after her state necrological providers on the Metropolitan Theater in Manila on the identical day.
Greg Brillantes
Gregorio “Greg” Concepción Brillantes was a famend Filipino creator thought to be one of the vital influential voices in Philippine English fiction.
A few of his notable works embody The Distance to Andromeda, The Apollo Centennial, and Religion, Love, Time, and Dr. Lazaro.
He died on September 26, on the age of 92.
Jiggly Caliente
Bianca Castro-Arabejo, often known as Jiggly Caliente, was a Filipino-American drag artist who grew to become a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race and later grew to become a resident choose on Drag Race Philippines.
She died on April 27, on the age of 44.
Bayani Casimiro Jr.
Bayani Casimiro Jr. was identified for his comedic roles and for enjoying Prinsipe Okay within the sitcom Okay Ka, Fairy Ko.
He died on July 25, on the age of 57.
Pilita Corrales
Pilita Corrales, hailed as “Asia’s Queen of Songs,” was a pioneering determine in Authentic Pilipino Music (OPM) with a profession spanning six a long time.
Recognized for her crystal-clear voice, signature backbend performances, and hits like “Rosas Pandan” and “Kapantay ay Langit,” she additionally hosted the enduring TV present Ang Bagong Kampeon and impressed generations of Filipino artists.
She was the mom of native showbiz figures Jackie Lou Blanco and Ramon Christopher “Monching” Gutierrez, and the grandmother of actress Janine Gutierrez.
Corrales and Nora Aunor have been in-laws as Aunor’s daughter, Lotlot, was beforehand married to Monching.
Corrales died on April 12, on the age of 87.
Gold Dagal
Gold Dagal was a humorist identified for tackling human rights, social commentary, and controversial subjects in his units.
Dagal, who’s remembered for his braveness in talking out by means of his artwork, was shot and killed in Pampanga on March 15. His dying adopted reported threats linked to his comedy.
Ricky Davao
Ricky Davao was a veteran actor who starred in quite a few movies, together with Huwag Mong Buhayin ang Bangkay and Misis Mo, Misis Ko.
Davao died on Could 2 after a battle with most cancers. He was 63.
Mike de Leon
Mike de Leon was an influential Filipino filmmaker identified for guiding classics corresponding to Kisapmata, Batch ’81, Itim, and Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag.
De Leon handed away on August 28, at 78.
Margarita Fores
Margarita Fores was a celebrated Filipino chef and restaurateur, identified for founding the CIBO restaurant chain, Lusso, Grace Park, and Alta. She was named Asia’s Finest Feminine Chef in 2016 and helped elevate Filipino delicacies on the worldwide stage.
Fores died of cardiac arrest on February 11, on the age of 65.
Davey Langit
Davey Langit was a Filipino singer-songwriter who gained recognition for his unique compositions, together with “Marriage ceremony Tune” and “Selfie Tune.”
Langit died on October 22, on the age of 38. No explanation for dying was disclosed, however he was identified with a uncommon spinal an infection in August.
Cocoy Laurel
Cocoy Laurel was a Filipino movie and stage actor identified for roles in Miss Saigon and Les Misérables, in addition to movies corresponding to Lollipops and Roses.
He was the son of former vp Salvador Laurel and theater actress Celia Diaz-Laurel.
Laurel died on June 14, on the age of 72.
Matutina
Evelyn Bontogon-Guerrero, often known as Matutina, was greatest identified for her position within the Seventies sitcom John en Marsha, the place she starred alongside Dolphy and Nida Blanca. She performed the position of Matutina, the loyal maid of Doña Delilah, performed by the late Dely Atay-atayan. She was beloved for her distinctive squeaky voice.
She died of acute respiratory failure on February 14, on the age of 78.
Dondon Nakar
Dondon Nakar was a Seventies matinee idol who gained fame for his position as Ding in Darna and the Giants, alongside the politician and veteran actress Vilma Santos.
Nakar died on November 1, at age 66.
Tony Perez
Tony Perez was the multi-awarded Filipino author and playwright behind works corresponding to Saan Ba Tayo Ihahatid ng Disyembre?, Bombita, and Biyaheng Timog.
He handed away on Could 20, on the age of 74.
Delia Razon
Delia Razon was a veteran Filipina actress identified for her roles in classics corresponding to Florante at Laura and Luksang Tagumpay.
Razon died on March 15, on the age of 94. She was the grandmother of actress Carla Abellana and acquired the FAMAS Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
Louie Reyes
Louie Reyes was a veteran jazz singer and a member of The New Minstrels, acknowledged for her 1991 album It’s Time, which featured songs corresponding to “Physique and Soul,” “Please Don’t Go,” and “Out of Phrases.”
Reyes handed away peacefully on October 26.
Gloria Romero
Dubbed the “Queen of Philippine Cinema,” Gloria Romero had a profession spanning over seven a long time — starring in over 250 movies and lots of different tv sequence since she was 16. Romero landed a supporting position within the 1952 movie Madame X, which signaled her rise to stardom and see her tackle the lead roles in Monghita and Palasig. She would go on to win her first FAMAS Finest Actress award in Dalagang Ilocana in 1955.
She was well-known as Goreng within the GMA fantasy anthology sequence Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko, Lola Loleng in Tanging Yaman, Lola Magda within the 2003 tearjerker Magnifico, and Sylvia Estrella, the spouse of Ramon Estrella in one among her closing movies, Rainbow’s Sundown.
Romero died on January 25. She was 91.
Rosa Rosal
Rosa Rosal was a veteran Filipino actress, humanitarian, and longtime governor of the Philippine Crimson Cross (PRC).
She starred in a number of movies like Anak Dalita, Badjao, and Biyaya ng Lupa.
She died on November 15, on the age of 97.
Juvenal Sansó
Juvenal Sansó was a famend Filipino artist whose profession spanned over seven a long time.
He was celebrated for his contributions to Philippine and worldwide artwork, receiving honors such because the Presidential Medal of Advantage, the Order of Isabella from Spain, and the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from France. Sansó’s works are held in prestigious establishments, together with the MoMA in New York, the Musée d’Artwork Moderne in Paris, and the Nationwide Museum of the Philippines.
He’s remembered for his lasting legacy in modernist artwork and for supporting future generations by means of Fundacion Sansó.
Sansó died on March 28. He was 95.
Digna Santiago
Digna Santiago was a veteran Filipino movie producer concerned in quite a few native and worldwide co-productions and likewise appeared in Perfidia and Magkapilas ng Langit.
She died on August 5 on the age of 81.
Lolit Solis
Lolit Solis, often known as “Manay Lolit,” was a veteran leisure columnist and host, acknowledged for her applications Startalk and Star Patrol.
Solis died on July 3 at 78.
Crimson Sternberg
Rodwick “Crimson” Sternberg was well known for his position as Kiko within the Nineties youth-oriented sequence T.G.I.S., which grew to become a cultural touchstone for Filipino teenagers.
Sternberg died on Could 27, on the age of fifty.
Fritz Ynfante
Fritz Ynfante was a veteran movie and tv artistic who helped form applications like Penthouse Reside and appeared in movies corresponding to Enteng ng Ina Mo.
Ynfante died on July 21. He was 84.
Worldwide celebrities
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani was an Italian designer whose minimalist, elegant aesthetic reshaped trendy style worldwide.
He died on September 4, on the age of 91.
Baek Se-hee
Baek Se-hee was the creator of the bestselling memoir I Need to Die However I Need to Eat Tteokbokki, which chronicled her battle with dysthymia (an extended type of melancholy) by means of conversations along with her therapist.
She died on October 17, at 35.
D’Angelo
Michael Eugene Archer, generally known as D’Angelo, was a Grammy-winning R&B artist and neo-soul pioneer who grew to become famend for his influential albums, together with Brown Sugar, Voodoo, and Black Messiah, in addition to hit songs corresponding to Girl, Brown Sugar, Cruisin’, and Untitled (How Does It Really feel).
He died on October 14, on the age of 51.
Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack was a Grammy-winning balladeer greatest identified for timeless hits corresponding to The First Time Ever I Noticed Your Face and Killing Me Softly With His Tune.
Flack died on February 24, on the age of 88, after having been identified with ALS in 2022. She was married to jazz bassist Steve Novosel from 1966 to 1972.
Connie Francis
Connie Francis was an American pop star greatest identified for her 1962 tune “Fairly Little Child.”
Earlier than her dying, Francis had been hospitalized earlier in July with extreme pelvic ache and had spent a while in intensive care.
She handed away on July 16 at 78.
Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley was the unique lead guitarist of the enduring American rock band Kiss, remaining with the band from the ‘70s to the ‘80s, and later rejoining them for his or her reunion within the ‘90s.
Frehley pursued a solo profession, recording the tune “New York Groove” in 1978. He was additionally the co-creator of rock anthems corresponding to “Rock and Roll All Nite.”
He died on October 16, on the age of 74.
Gene Hackman
“Actor’s actor” Gene Hackman, was celebrated for his commanding and emotionally trustworthy performances in over 80 movies, together with The French Connection and Unforgiven.
Hackman died on the age of 95, at dwelling together with his spouse, pianist Betsy Arakawa.
Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan was a worldwide sports activities leisure determine who helped popularize skilled wrestling by means of occasions like WrestleMania and quite a few tv appearances.
Hogan died on July 24. He was 71.
Barbie Hsu
Hsi Yuan Hsu, often known as Barbie Hsu, was a Taiwanese actress, singer, and creator whose profession spanned over three a long time. She rose to worldwide fame for her portrayal of Dong Shan Cai within the 2001 Taiwanese hit sequence Meteor Backyard, which grew to become immensely in style within the Philippines after airing on ABS-CBN in 2003.
Past appearing, she was additionally a singer along with her little sister, Dee, in a duo known as A.S.O.S., and so they launched the tune “10 Minutes of Love.”
Hsu died on pneumonia on February 3, on the age of 48. She is survived by her husband Koo Jun-yup and two kids.
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton was an award-winning American actress greatest identified for her efficiency as Annie Corridor within the 1977 movie of the identical title.
She appeared in movies corresponding to The Godfather trilogy and The First Wives Membership, and starred in additional than 60 movies throughout her profession.
She died on October 11 at 79 years previous.
Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer was identified for his intense display presence and starred in main movies, together with his position as Batman in Batman Perpetually.
He handed away on April 1. He was 65.
David Lynch
David Lynch was an American filmmaker, artist, and author who reshaped trendy cinema together with his surreal, dreamlike visuals and complicated storytelling. Lynch was generally known as one of many co-creators of the cult tv sequence Twin Peaks.
He died on the age of 78 on January 15.
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne was generally known as the “Prince of Darkness” and the “Godfather of Heavy Steel,” having led the pioneering band Black Sabbath, which had launched 19 studio albums because it was fashioned within the late Sixties. He was married to American TV persona Sharon Osbourne.
Earlier than his dying, Osbourne staged a one-off reunion live performance with Black Sabbath in early July.
Osbourne died on July 22, on the age of 76.
Robert Redford
Robert Redford,was a Hollywood icon identified for movies corresponding to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Child and The Sting, in addition to for founding the Sundance Institute.
Redford handed away on September 16. He was 89.
Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner is the the filmmaker behind hits corresponding to When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, and A Few Good Males.
In 2017, he directed the autobiographical movie Being Charlie, which his son Nick co-wrote. It follows a younger man’s wrestle with dependancy, and is primarily based on Nick’s real-life wrestle with drug abuse.
Reiner, 78, was discovered lifeless, together with his spouse Michele of their Los Angeles dwelling on December 14. The Los Angeles Police Division later charged Nick with murder.
Mario Vargas Llosa
Mario Vargas Llosa was a Peruvian novelist and Nobel Prize laureate whose works included Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, Dying within the Andes, and The Warfare of the Finish of the World.
Vargas Llosa died on April 13, on the age of 89.
Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson was the founding father of The Seaside Boys and created a few of rock’s most enduring classics, together with Good Vibrations and God Solely Is aware of.
He died on June 11. He was 72.
Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg was an American actress greatest identified for her roles as Daybreak Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Georgina Sparks in Gossip Woman.
She died on February 26, on the age of 39. The reason for dying has not been disclosed.
Tune Younger-kyu
Tune Younger-kyu was a South Korean actor identified for roles in Companions for Justice, Excessive Job, and Hyena.
Tune was discovered lifeless in his automotive on August 4. On the time of his dying, the Companions for Justice star had been on the middle of an issue the place he was being investigated for drunk driving in mid-June. He was 55. – with studies from Alfon Cabanilla/Rappler.com
Alfon Cabanilla is a Rappler intern finding out AB Communication on the Ateneo de Manila College.
