Veteran Filipino actor and director Eddie Garcia passed away today at 90 years old.
Garcia died at 4:55pm at the Makati Medical Center. This was confirmed by Dr. Antonio Rebosa, who served as the Garcia family’s spokesperson, reported Rappler.
Garcia was hospitalized on June 8 after a freak accident in his television show’s set. He tripped on a cable and fractured his cervical spine while taping for the GMA television series Rosang Agimat, reported ABS-CBN News. He succumbed to a coma after the accident.
GMA first announced in an official statement that the actor had a heart attack on set but his family doctor Enrique Lagman rejected this and said the actor was hospitalized due to a severe cervical fracture which he sustained due to the accident, reported the Philippine Star. This was also confirmed by Garcia’s close friend, screenwriter Bibeth Orteza, reported the Philippine Entertainment Portal.
Garcia was one of the most prolific figures in Philippine show business, having worked on more than 600 movies as an actor and director. He was born on May 2, 1929, in Juban, Sorsogon. He worked as a military policeman in Okinawa then became a member of the Philippine Scouts.
After the Scouts disbanded, Garcia entered the entertainment industry in 1950 when a talent scout named George Sanderson convinced him to audition for a film by National Artist Manuel Conde titled Siete Infantes de Lara.
Garcia continued to portray a variety of roles in film and television, from villains to philandering funny men. His more recent memorable roles are as a retired soldier who saw the worst ills of martial law in the film ML, and as a politician who embarks on a gay romance in Rainbow’s Sunset. He also stars in 2018’s drama-comedy film Hintayan ng Langit (Heaven’s Waiting), which was recently added to Netflix.
Garcia is survived by daughter Lisa Ortega and seven grandchildren.
