In memoriam: Icons, newsmakers who died in 2014
MANILA, Philippines – Comedians, actors, and entertainers. Artists, authors, and creative geniuses. Politicians and government luminaries. Plain folks turned game-changers.
Many influential icons and notable newsmakers passed away in 2014.
We remember their life and times, and the legacies they left behind.
You can filter the list by selecting any category below.
• Politics & Gov't • Business • Entertainment • Sports • Arts & Culture • Military • Crime-related Deaths
December 23 – Acosta, a Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic enforcer, succumbed to head injuries 5 days after the motorist he apprehended on EDSA in Cubao, Quezon City took off, dragging Acosta along the road.
November 13 – Miss Honduras had been due to fly to London for the 2014 Miss World beauty pageant, but she disappeared with her sister Sofia Trinidad on November 13 after a party. Their bodies were found 6 days later, buried along the banks of a river in the violence-plagued northwestern part of Honduras.
Read more: Miss Honduras shot dead 'after fleeing sister's boyfriend'
February 11 – The veteran actor died of cardiac arrest. Alvarez recently starred in GMA teleseryes Villa Quintana and My Husband's Lover .
Read more: Character actor Roy Alvarez, 63, dies
May 28 – The celebrated African-American author, poet and civil rights activist was best known for her autobiographies that focused on her childhood and early adulthood, including "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" from 1969.
Read more: US poet Maya Angelou dies at 86
March 10 – Aquino spent roughly 4 decades in the entertainment industry. His latest projects include Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles , El Presidente , and Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story .
Read more: Actor Roldan Aquino dies at 65
August 24 – His sparkling career as an actor and director spanned 6 decades. Attenborough was also a former president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
Read more: Director and actor Richard Attenborough dies aged 90
August 12 – An icon of Hollywood's golden age who lit up the silver screen in a series of classic movies opposite her husband Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall died after suffering a massive stroke.
Read more: Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall dead
June 7 – The controversial mayor of Urbiztondo, Pangasinan, was in the thick of preparations for the wedding of his son when assassins peppered him with bullets in front of a supermarket located near his residence.
Read more: Pangasinan mayor linked to high-powered arms shot dead
October 3 – Barican, who was also a noted student activist, served as a spokesman for former president Joseph Estrada from 1998 to 2000.
Read more: Former Palace spokesman dies
August 9 – The shooting of the teenager by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, triggered protests not only in the town but also in many places in the United States.
Read more: Ferguson: Thousands bid farewell to slain US teenager
February 23 – The decorated PBA player, coach, and board executive passed away due to a ruptured aneurysm.
Read more: PBA: Beermen Governor Ely Capacio dies
November 2 – The young soldier died in a clash with Abu Sayyaf in war-weary Sumisip, Basilan.
Read more: Basilan's hero: Fresh PMA grad dies in Abu Sayyaf hands
February 9 – A legal luminary, Cuevas was the lead defense counsel of ex-Supreme Court chief justice Renato Corona during the latter's impeachment trial in 2013. He was an SC associate justice from 1984 to 1986, and the justice secretary under the Estrada administration from 1998 to 2000.
Read more: Ex-SC justice Serafin Cuevas dies
October 20 – The Dominican-born American fashion icon dressed A-list movie stars, as well as first ladies from Jacqueline Kennedy to Laura Bush.
Read more: Legendary designer Oscar de la Renta dies
May 4 – He was the vice mayor of Baguio City, the nation's summer capital, from 1992 to 2001, and again in 2007 until his untimely death.
SunStar Baguio : Baguio vice mayor Fariñas dies at 61
September 19 – The National Artist for Music founded the Asian Institute of Liturgy and Music and was the president of the Samba-Likhaan Foundation.
Read more: National Artist for Music Francisco Feliciano dies
October 30 – Known for the "Let's DOH it!" campaign when he was health secretary, the beloved Flavier also championed health advocacies during his term as senator from 1995 to 2007.
Read more: Former Health Secretary Juan Flavier dies
March 31 – The former basketball player for the UP Fighting Maroons and various PBA teams died in a car crash on the South Luzon Expressway.
Read more: Former PBA player Gahol dies in car crash
April 17 – Garcia Marquez is one of the most popular Latin American novelists in the world, and the godfather of a literary movement that witnessed a continent in turmoil.
Read more: Garcia Marquez, godfather of magic realism, dies at 87
April 3 – The veteran broadcaster, who died after suffering a stroke, was an anchor of RPN-9's Newswatch .
The Philippine Star : Veteran news anchor Harry Gasser dies
September 1 – A prominent actor in the industry, Mark Gil rose to fame in the movie Batch 81 , where he played a neophyte initiated in a fraternity. He was recently seen in the ABS-CBN drama, The Legal Wife .
Read more: Veteran actor Mark Gil dies
August 16 – The former solicitor general and ambassador to Canada passed away due to pneumonia and renal failure, days after an operation to treat his aneurysm.
Read more: Ex-SolGen, ambassador Raul Goco dies at 84
September 7 – Gonzalez was the Iloilo City representative from 1995 to 2004, and a justice secretary under the Arroyo administration.
Read more: Raul Gonzalez, former justice chief, dies
August 16 – Griffin, who died in a diving accident, is among the individuals behind the viral Ice Bucket Challenge, which aimed to raise funds in support of Lou Gehrig's disease research.
Read more: Man behind Ice Bucket Challenge dies
July 17 – Irene Gunawan and her two children, Sherryl Shania and Darryl Dwight, died in the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 plane crash in strife-torn eastern Ukraine.
Read more: Philippines names mom, 2 kids killed in MH17 tragedy
February 2 – The Oscar-winning actor was found dead in his New York apartment in an apparent drug overdose. Hoffman was slated to appear in the final two installments of The Hunger Games film adaptations, in Mockingjay parts one and two.
December 16 – Through the works of the National Artist for Visual Arts, "the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and naga motifs have been popularized and instilled in the consciousness of the Filipino nation and other peoples as original Filipino creations," said the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Read more: National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Imao dies
February 7 – The comedian died on the spot when a bus heading to Bontoc, Mountain Province, fell into a ravine. Musician David Sicam, artist Gerard Baja , and tattoo artist Christian Cabardo were also among the 14 fatalities.
Read more: Comedian Tado among dead in Mt Province bus accident
June 12 – The owner of Crown Regency Group of Hotels, Richard King was shot dead by a gunman inside a Davao City building.
Read more: Businessman shot dead in Davao
October 11 – The transgender Filipino, born Jeffrey Laude, was found dead at a hotel in Olongapo City. She was last seen checking in with a "male white foreigner," later identified by witnesses as US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton.
Read more: Jennifer Laude died from drowning: autopsy report
August 8 – Caceres Archbishop Emeritus Leonardo Legaspi was a former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the first Filipino rector of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in 1970.
Read more: First Filipino UST rector dies at 78
May 7 – The former soldier, who was implicated in the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983, died after he was hit by a car while he was biking in Manila.
Interaksyon : Ex-soldier Pablo Martinez, tagged in Ninoy Aquino slay, killed in road accident
May 9, 13, and 21 – The 3 soldiers were among those injured in the May 7 fire and blast at the Philippine Army Explosives and Ordnance Disposal headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Read more: 3rd soldier dies in Army HQ blast, officer relieved
May 28 – The mayor of Laak, Compostela Valley, was killed in an ambush on a major highway in Asuncion, Davao del Norte.
Read more: Compostela Valley town mayor shot dead
July 2 – Three armed men opened fire on the convoy of Mayor Okinlay on its way to the Impasug-ong, Bukidnon town proper, after a medical mission. Based on initial reports, the attack was carried out by members of the New People's Army (NPA).
Read more: Bukidnon mayor killed in ambush
January 16 – Onoda was a Japanese Imperial Army soldier who hid in the Philippine jungles for 3 decades, because he did not believe World War II was over. He was the last of several dozen so-called Japanese stragglers scattered around Asia.
Read more: Japan WWII soldier who hid in jungle until 1974, dies
June 12 – The Filipino international racing driver was shot dead by two unidentified assailants in Quezon City. His wife Dahlia Pastor was implicated in his death, along with businessman Domingo "Sandy" de Guzman.
Read more: PH racer Enzo Pastor shot dead
November 21 – Paterno was senator from 1987 to 1992. He was also the founder and chairman of Philippine Seven Corporation, the company behind the 7 Eleven convenience stores.
Read more: Former Senator Vicente 'Ting' Paterno dies
April 21 – Mayor Pentecostes of Gonzaga, Cagayan, and two of his security personnel were killed in an early morning attack during a flag-raising ceremony at the municipal hall. Mining operations in the town may be the motive behind the mayor's killing, initial police reports said.
Read more: Cagayan mayor killed in flag-raising attack
March 1 – The mayor of Maitum, Sarangani, died several hours after an ambush staged by still unknown gunmen while he was on his way home. Perrett is the 2nd sitting Maitum mayor killed over the last decade and the 3rd over the same period.
Read more: Sarangani mayor dies after ambush
October 2 – Born Myrna Villanueva, the comedienne battled a number of medical issues, particularly after undergoing a recent double bypass surgery. Tia Pusit was last seen in the ABS-CBN show, Ikaw Lamang , playing the role of actress Kim Chiu’s nanny.
Read more: Comedian Tia Pusit dies
September 7 – Quiason was a Supreme Court Associate Justice under the Ramos administration, serving from 1993 to 1995.
Philippine Daily Inquirer : Former SC Justice Quiason dies
April 23 – Justice Relova served the Supreme Court from 1982 to 1986, during the regime of former president Ferdinand Marcos.
Read more: Marcos-time SC Justice Lorenzo Relova dies
September 4 – The caustic stand-up comic and television host blazed a trail at a time when comedy was all but off-limits to women.
Read more: Joan Rivers, queen of US 'comediennes,' dies aged 81
January 8 – Roman was representative of the 1st district of Bataan from 1998 to 2007.
Read more: Ex-Bataan Rep Tony Roman dies at 74
March 12 – The artist known for his visual art and fondness for shadowplay died due to a ruptured aneurysm.
Read more: Artist Don Maralit Salubayba dies at age 35
January 29 – The Father of Philippine Landscape Architecture and National Artist for Architecture, Santos was known for his ability to create spaces conducive to social interaction.
Read more: Nat'l Artist Ildefonso Santos Jr dies; 84
June 28 – Servando, a student of the College of St Benilde, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Philippine General Hospital, where he and 3 of his schoolmates were rushed after a supposed hazing ritual.
Read more: St. Benilde student dies in suspected hazing incident
January 11 – He was the prime minister of Israel from 2001 to 2006, when he suffered a debilitating stroke. His death prompted a flood of tributes in Israel but elicited contempt from Palestinians.
Read more: Ex-Israel premier Sharon dead at 85
January 6 – The 2004 Miss Venezuela and her British-born partner, Thomas Henry Berry, 39, were killed in what appears to have been a botched robbery after their car broke down on a highway in northwestern Venezuela.
Read more: Ex-beauty queen killed in crime that shocks violent Venezuela
January 16 – Sulaiman ran the World Boxing Council (WBC) for 38 years, from December 1975 until his death.
Read more: WBC boss Jose Sulaiman dies
February 10 – The iconic movie and TV child star captured hearts in Depression-era America. She later became US ambassador to Ghana and what was then Czechoslovakia, as well as a US delegate to the United Nations General Assembly.
Read more: Child star icon turned diplomat Shirley Temple dead at 85
January 27 – Velasco was the director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) from 1992 to 1995, governor of Cavite from 1995 to 1998, and Interior and Local Government secretary in 1998.
Read more: Remembering Epi , by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio
May 27 – Velayo is the co-founder of the auditing firm SGV.
Philippine Daily Inquirer : Top auditing firm co-founder Alfredo Velayo dies at 92
May 13 – The boxer is the country's first Olympic silver medalist, winning the prize in 1964.
Read more: Anthony Villanueva - first Filipino Olympic silver medalist - dies at 69
April 8 – His first appearance in WWE in over a decade turned out to be his last one. A day after his speech at WWE Raw following WrestleMania XXX, he collapsed due to a heart attack outside a hotel in Arizona, USA, while walking to his car with his wife.
Read more: WWE legend The Ultimate Warrior dies at 54
August 11 – The star of revered movies such as Good Will Hunting , Good Morning Vietnam , and Mrs Doubtfire died from a suspected suicide after a battle with depression, triggering an outpouring of anguished tributes to one of the most beloved entertainers of his generation.
Read more: Actor Robin Williams dead
April 7 – Yap is the chairman of the board of the Manila Bulletin , one of the country's oldest newspapers. He was named the 13th richest Filipino by Forbes Magazine in 2013.
Read more: Manila Bulletin's Emilio Yap dies at 88
January 14 – The "Original Diva" of professional wrestling competed in at least 7 different decades, debuting in the late 1930s or early 1940s. Her last TV appearance in the WWE was in March 2013, on the occasion of her 90th birthday.
Read more: Legendary wrestler Mae Young dead at 90
– Rappler.com