MANILA, Philippines – Legendary Filipina actress Nora Aunor died on Wednesday, April 16, her son Ian de Leon confirmed. She was 71.
“We love you Ma… alam ng [Diyos] kung gano ka namin ka mahal.. pahinga ka na po Ma.. nandito ka lang sa puso at isipan namin..” De Leon wrote.
(We love you Ma… God knows how much we love you.. rest now Ma.. you’re here in our hearts and minds..)
Aunor’s cause of death has yet to be disclosed.
One of the country’s most decorated actresses, Aunor — known as “Superstar” in Philippine entertainment — had an “extensive filmography” of 170 movies, “exceeded only by the number of awards and citations she has received from local and international organizations,” according to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Aunor’s death came just days after “Asia’s Queen of Songs” Pilita Corrales died on April 12 at the age of 87.
They were parents-in-law as Aunor’s daughter, Lotlot de Leon, was previously married to Corrales’ son, Ramon Christopher “Monching” Gutierrez.
Aunor, named National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022, starred in many iconic films throughout her career, including Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo (1976), Ikaw ay Akin (1978), Atsay (1978), Bona (1980), and Himala (1982), to name a few.
Nicknamed “Ate Guy,” Aunor was also a recording artist, who released classics such as “Pearly Shells,” “Maria Leonora Theresa,” and “Dandansoy,” among others.
Aunor also had famous love teams in Tirso Cruz III — then known as “Guy and Pip” — and Edgar “Bobot” Mortiz in the ’70s.
Aunor — who lived a life as colorful and complex as her performances — was married to actor Christopher de Leon,. The have one biological child, Ian, and adopted children Lotlot, Matet, Kiko, and Kenneth.
Outside of entertainment, Aunor also tried to enter politics, but had an unsuccessful congressional bid in 2022 as a party-list nominee for the National Organization for Responsive Advocacies for the Arts (NORAA).
She made a second attempt in the 2025 elections, filing for candidacy as 2nd nominee of the party-list group People’s Champ Guardians on October 7, 2024, but dropped out months later.
Aunor said on March 5 she decided to support another party-list’s election bid, Kabayan, instead of seeking a position.
Tributes
Family and friends have already begun to pay tribute to the Superstar.
Her daughter, Matet, shared photos from her own wedding where she is captured beside Aunor. “I love you mommy,” she wrote.
Veteran actress Vilma Santos — whose celebrated rivalry with Aunor saw loyal fans divided as “Noranians” and “Vilmanians” — extended her condolences to the family of her “mare” (close friend).
“Our sincerest condolences and prayers. Rest in peace, mare. Ms. Nora Aunor! Our Superstar and National Artist… Maraming Salamat! (Thank you very much),” Santos wrote in an Instagram story. – Rappler.com