MANILA, Philippines – Ten years after Francis Magalona's death, his wife Pia Magalona took to Instagram to recall how she and the family were behind the late rapper as he battled leukemia.
Francis, known for songs such as "Kabataan Para Sa Kinabukasan," "Kaleidoscope World," and "Mga Kababayan Ko" died on March 6, 2009.
In the post on Wednesday, March 6, Pia shared how she and Francis found out about his condition and relaying the news to her children.
"I remember distinctly that we were both lying in his hospital bed, watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics, when a doctor came by and asked to speak to me in the hallway. She carefully broke the news, and my only reaction was ok...so what’s the method of treatment, and how long is he going to be confined? I even had a smile on my face, because I was just glad to know they had found out why he was having daily fever and was lightheaded," she said,
"The doctor then said the dreaded words: it’s cancer. Oh... That was pretty bad news. Next thing, we both went into the room to tell him about it. After that, I called my children one at a time, from eldest to youngest. The most difficult was telling the three youngest who still lived at home at the time, whom I told face to face. They were only 14, almost-9 and almost-8. I cried with them with each and every revelation, answering the same questions eight times over," she added.
She recalled that the next 7 months or the months leading to Francis' death "was a whirlwind of confinements and discharges and treatments and test, after test, after test."
"Faith is really all we ever had, and still have for those he left behind," Pia said.
"Our family will forever be grateful to family, friends, co-artists, companies and the Filipino people who supported us both financially and in spirit throughout the journey we called his Happy Battle, and even afterward. Through his recordings, his legacy lives on. Now, more than ever, say a prayer and listen to FrancisM. Peace." she added.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pia Magalona (@piamagalona) on Mar 5, 2019 at 5:52pm PST
Prior his death, Francis was part of the noontime show Eat Bulaga. – Rappler.com
