MANILA, Philippines — Celebrities mourn the passing of veteran TV director Bert de Leon on Sunday. He was 74.
Bert’s niece Joanna de Leon confirmed the death of the veteran director on her Facebook account.
“Mahal na mahal kita tito.. mahal na mahal ka namin dito.. Ang sakit sobra napakalungkot ng paglisan mo pero makakapag pahinga kana. Im so sorry that youve been through a lot of pain bago ka umalis.. Youve had a great fight Tito.. Thank you for all the love and care youve given to my family mostly sa aming Ina,” she said.
“Never mo kami pinabayaan and Im so sorry na wala kami sa tabi mo to help you but we prayed a lot for your healing tito.. Rest in Peace tito.. I promised you ako na bahala kay Mamay.. we love you so much Tito Bert De leon..” she added.
His niece didn’t mention the cause of Bert’s death. He, however, posted last July that he had a heart attack and had to undergo an angioplasty. Michael V also set up a fundraiser for him after after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 last September.
Bitoy also took to his Instagram account to pay his tribute to the “Bubble Gang” and “Pepito Manaloto” director.
“Cut! Good take! Moving on…” he captioned the post.
“You were always kind. You were always supportive of others. You were always strong at heart, remaining positive and hopeful. You have always remained a friend to your peers. You will be loved and remembered always, Direk. Have a safe trip home to the waiting arms of our Father. Goodbye, Direk Bert de Leon,” director Joey Reyes wrote on his Facebook account.
Sexbomb dancer and actress Aira Bermudes wrote “RIP direk Bert De Leon. Condolence to the family” in her Facebook account.
“I just learned that the industry lost another ICON, Direk Bert De Leon. If my memory serves me well, the last time I saw him was when I appeared in PEPITO MANALOTO. Napakadaling katrabaho, as usual cool lang siya. Aside from Pepito, Direk Bert gave us some of the funniest sitcom on national tv. Rest in peace, Direk Bert. And thank you for blessing us with your talent and humor,” singer Richard Reynoso wrote on Facebook.
Bert also directed “Eat Bulaga,” “Iskul Bukol,” and “Okay Ka, Fairy Ko.”