She sang with a sway, and left with a bow so deep it nearly kissed the stage. Pilita Corrales—singer, survivor, siren of sequined gowns—has passed away. She was 85.
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No voice like hers. Not then, not now. Her vocals, warm and honeyed with history, could turn heartbreak into a show tune and a torch song into triumph. She gracefully bent backward while holding notes that never wavered, a liyad that became her calling card and her crown.
Before stadium tours and viral covers, there was Pilita: standing among legends, yet not in their shadow. She was a front act when The Beatles played Manila, their first and only appearance of the British band in the country. A rare bloom in a sea of mop-topped mania, her presence was so radiant it held its own.
She was also the first Filipino to perform at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas—handpicked by Sammy Davis Jr., no less. Imagine that: a Cebuana crooning in Spanish and English in a desert city glittering with neon signs, draped in chiffon and sequins, defying every expectation of what a Filipina could be.
Her life was a stage, but offstage she carried chapters laced with silence and survival. Behind the gowns—those peekaboo pieces with slits that need no permission—was a woman who endured the kind of violence that tries to dim a spirit. Hers never did.
Pilita sang in four languages, but her real fluency was in feeling. She could make a ballroom feel like a barrio and vice versa. To watch her was to witness a master class in performance, but also in rightful self-possession.
Her legacy, too, is far from finished. A forthcoming documentary—Pilita, directed by Baby Ruth Villarama and produced by her granddaughter Janine Gutierrez—is currently in the works, promising to trace not just the highs of her stardom but the woman behind the spotlight.
In a statement posted to Instagram, her family shared: “Pilita touched the lives of many, not only with her songs but also with her kindness and generosity. She will be remembered for her contributions to the entertainment industry, but most of all for her love of life and family.”
And what better soundtrack to remember her by than her signature song, “A Million Thanks to You”—a farewell wrapped in gratitude, her voice soaring with sincerity. It was her benediction. Even now, the title rings like a soft refrain to all she gave: a million thanks, a million memories, and a voice that backbent through time.
Her final note may have faded, but what a crescendo she gave us. Pilita Corrales made music as much as she gave us memories. And memory, as we know, doesn’t die—it holds, even long after it ends.
Photos: PILITA CORRALES (via Facebook)
Featured Image: Photographed by BJ PASCUAL, Photo from JANINE GUTIERREZ (via Instagram)
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