After his rise to fame back in the 70s, his career has since brought Filipinos “May Bukas Pa,” “Lupa,” “Macho Gwapito” and many other hits. We also continued to watch his brilliance as he became a hurado on It’s Showtime’s Tawag Ng Tanghalan segment. Those who received pieces of advice from him were truly lucky. Now, as hard as it is to accept, not only the entertainment industry but our nation faces the loss of this OPM icon.
Many of us woke up on October 30 thinking that the day was going to be just another Tuesday, until news of Rico J. Puno’s passing made headlines at the age of 65. It was a complete shock for his family, friends and fans. In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Puno’s daughter Tosca even revealed that the singer was in high spirits the night before because of his shows and the station ID shoot.
Completely blindsided by this turn of events, his fellow TNT hurados could only take their sorrows to Instagram and share their loving memories of him.
Jaya retold how she first met Puno in the 70s because her mother would take her to Impierno Club where he used to perform. “Tindi nya kumanta at grabe na rin yung mga jokes niya kahit bawal ako doon eh napapanood ko pa rin siya,” she wrote. The Queen of Soul continued to talk about how much she admired his unique voice was one of the soulful artists that caught her attention.
K Brosas also posted a lengthy caption along with photos of their collaborations on stage. She was all praises for him and even recounted that they once won an award together, “napaka swerte ko kc ilang beses na kami nagkasama SA mga concerts at shows.. nanalo pa nga kami ng award matagal na bilang “best performance (collaboration) in a concert” .. na hindi ko makakalimutan kc natawa kami dahil walang script at kulitan lang ang concert na yon pero nanalo..” Focusing on the legacy that he has built, “Ma mi miss ka NG lahat dahil nag iisa ka,” she ended.
Gary Valenciano, Louie Ocampo and Ogie Alcasid also expressed their grief on social media.
While Yeng Constantino went on to thank him for the time they worked together, “Sir Rico J. Puno Salamat po sa pagpapatawa samin on air at offcam sa Tawag Ng Tanghalan. Salamat po sa pagiging mabuting katrabaho. Mamimiss po namin ang presensya nyo.”
Erik Santos shared on IG that Rico J’s music has been part of his singing career since he recorded 2 of the icon’s hits as theme songs of teleseryes.