The legendary pop singer’s strong and steady presence in the entertainment industry, which spanned more than six decades, gave us such timeless OPM hits “Ang Pipit,” “Kapantay ay Langit,” and “Dahil Sa’yo” and English gems like “A Million Thanks to You.” She also dabbled in songwriting, hosting and acting, proving herself to be an effective and self-effacing comedienne with impeccable timing and deadpan wit.
By ANNE STEPHANIE NILO
Pilar Garrido Corrales — also known as Pilita Corrales — died on Saturday, April 12. She was 85. Her death was disclosed by daughter Jackie Lou Blanco and granddaughter Janine Gutierrez in a joint Instagram post.
Born on August 22, 1939 in Lahug, Cebu to affluent Spanish parents Jose Corrales and Maria Garrido, Pilita was sent to study in Colegio Mayor de Padre Poveda, a finishing school in Madrid, Spain according to a report by The Philippine STAR. But her father’s sudden death and her family’s financial circumstances forced her to abandon her studies and fly back to the Philippines.
A shipwreck near the coast of Arnhem Land in 1959 led her to Victoria, Australia where she began a career as a recording artist and TV presenter. The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia reports that her major hit “Come Closer to Me” — a cover of 1946 hit “Acércate Más’” by Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farrés — got included in the Australian pop charts and was released by Astor Records in 1959. Pilita recorded three LPs in Australia before returning to the Philippines in 1963.
Locally, her biggest hit came in 1972 with Philippine Love Songs, which STAR reports as one of the biggest selling albums in Filipino pop music history. The album includes such immortal Filipino pop classics as “Dahil Sa ‘yo,” “Hinahanap Kita,” “Sapagka’t Kami’y Tao Lamang” “Kapantay ay Langit” and “Rosas Pandan,” which turned out to be a major showcase of her versatility and unique style as a singer. As a live performer, Pilita was also a joy to watch, crafting a signature style as she reached for the high notes, including iconic body movements like “the bend” that were all her own.
The breadth of her discography — a record 135 albums — includes songs in English and Filipino, but also in Spanish and Cebuano. Her ability to fluently convey emotions in these languages endeared her to a diverse mix of audiences not only in her hometown Cebu, but also in Manila and outside of the Philippines, eventually earning for her the title “Asia’s Queen of Song.” One of her frequent collaborators included the late National Artist Levi Celerio, which wrote such hits for her as “Ang Pipit,” “Ikaw ang Mahal Ko,” “Cariñosa,” and “Kung Nagsasayaw Kita,” among others.
Jackie Lou remembers her mother as a person “who touched the lives of many, not only with her songs but also with her kindness and generosity.”
Pilita is survived by her children Jackie Lou and Ramoncito Gutierrez, aka Ramon Christopher, and seven grandchildren, including actress Janine Gutierrez, daughter of Ramoncito and Lotlot de Leon.
