Crazy Rich Asians star Nico Santos revealed on Twitter that his stepfather has passed away of coronavirus and that his mother is “also fighting COVID-19.”
The Filipino actor paid tribute to his stepfather Sonny, whose death he called “devastating”, and also shone a grim light on the reality of mourning during self-isolation - saying he can’t “hold my mother as she mourns her husband.”
Referring to his stepfather as Tito Sonny (Tito is the Filipino word for uncle), he shared a picture of him and his mother.
The Superstore actor wrote, “My Tito Sonny passed away yesterday after losing his battle with COVID-19. He was a kind, caring man. Friendly to a fault.”
“He always greeted strangers walking past him with a chipper ‘Good Morning!’ and a big smile. He had a great laugh that filled the room with joy,” he continued.
“My mom is also fighting COVID-19. For the time being, she has not required hospitalisation. The loss of my stepfather is devastating but what has gutted me is that this pandemic has kept my family apart,” he continued.
“We were unable to be with him during his last days,” he revealed, “I can’t hold my mother as she mourns her husband. I can’t hug my brother as he contemplates a world without his father.
"I can’t wipe away the tears from my nephews’ eyes as they wonder why their Lolo [grandfather] Sonny isn’t here anymore.”
He thanked people for their “prayers, love and assistance” and asked them to “send healing energy to my mom.”
Two Sundays ago, Santos asked people to send “prayers, positive thoughts and energy” to his family but did not reveal his parents’ COVID-19 diagnoses - calling for everybody to stay safe and stay home.
“Rest in Peace Tito Sonny. You will be in our hearts forever,” he wrote.
According to a Sunday evening report, there are over 139,000 cases of coronavirus in the US and over 2,425 have died from the disease.
While initially President Donald Trump called for social distancing until the end of this month, it has since been extended to April 30 to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
In the UK, there have been over 19,784 cases and 1,200 coronavirus-related deaths.
John Hopkins University reported that there are 724,945 confirmed coronavirus cases internationally and 34,041 related deaths in total.
