Fans of Pepe Smith can now pay their respects to the Pinoy Rock icon as his family has said that his wake will be open to the public starting tomorrow, Jan. 31.
The announcement was made by his daughter Daisy Smith-Owen in a Facebook post yesterday.
“For those who want to see Papa, here are the details for the public viewing..PLEASE NO CAMERAS AND NO TAKING PHOTOS. Thank you,” she wrote.
Fans can visit starting 9am at the Venice Chapel in Loyola Memorial Park, Sucat, Parañaque City. The wake will be open to the public until Friday, Feb. 1.
The Smith family did not immediately announce wake and funeral details and first requested for “space and privacy.”
So instead, fans and fellow musicians celebrated his life by honoring him in social media posts.
Smith is one of the founders of the Pinoy Rock genre and remained a vital part of the OPM (Original Pilipino Music) industry until his death on Monday. He was 71 years old.
Smith had suffered three strokes from 2016 — 2017; his last one occurred in November 2017.
Fondly called the “Mick Jagger of the Philippines,” he was part of the bands The Downbeats and the Juan dela Cruz Band and was an all-around musician, having performed as a vocalist, drummer, and guitarist. He was also a composer.
With The Downbeats, Smith opened for The Beatles during their 1966 concert in Manila.
The Smith family is also appealing to the public for donations that will go towards the memorial service, funeral service, and burial site fees.
“Joey Pepe Smith always gave everything he had for us, his fans. Many of us would appreciate any chance to give back to him,” writer and film score composer Erwin Romulo writes in the Smith family’s Go Get Funding page.
“Pepe Smith was a wealthy man but that had nothing to do with money. Like many can attest he was generous, perhaps to a fault. He always gave everything he had. He now needs our generosity.”
The campaign has raised PHP105,208 (US$2,009.29) of the PHP300,000 (US$5,729.48) goal as of this article’s posting.
