(UPDATE) ENTERTAINMENT industry pillar and Regal Films matriarch Lily Yu-Chu Monteverde — famously known as Mother Lily — passed away Sunday, August 4. She was 85.
A statement released by her family announced that Monteverde died at 3:18 a.m.
“Throughout her years, she had not only been a mother to her children but also the ‘Mother’ to so many generations of Filipino filmmakers who have helped define what Philippine cinema is today.
“Even in her final years, Mother Lily had served as one of the cornerstones of the movie industry, providing opportunities to filmmakers — both creative and technical — to carve their names in our popular history. Yet behind this veneer of accomplishment, Mother Lily was not merely a matriarch and the face of Regal Films but a true mother to artists and workers who had the chance to know her beyond the confines of work,” part of the family’s statement reads.
It said that Monteverde was surrounded by her children and grandchildren in her final hours and had the chance to say goodbye to close friends and associates who bid her farewell on Saturday.
“The family is at peace now that their mother has not only found rest but has joined their father Remy in that place called eternity — as they were together in life as they will remain together where there is no space or time,” it added.
The Monteverde family requests prayers and asks that people cherish the memory of Mother Lily “not only as a face of cinema but as the loving mother she truly was and will always be.”
The Regal Entertainment Inc. matriarch’s death comes only six days after her husband, Leonardo “Remy” Monteverde, succumbed to pneumonia on July 29, following weeks of hospitalization. He was laid to rest on Saturday at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City.
True to her name, Monteverde was a maternal figure not only to Regal Films’ big-name stars and creatives through the decades but to the entire industry as well.
Producing more than 300 films since Regal began in the 1960s — not counting television anthologies to date — she was officially given the title “Ina ng Pelikulang Pilipino” by the Film Development Council in time for Mother’s Day in 2017.
Her death brings immense grief to the industry and significantly marks the end of a legendary era in Philippine show business.
Monteverde’s legacy lives on through her children, including Roselle, who continues the family tradition at Regal Films; Dondon, who has made his mark in the industry with Reality; Goldwin, who is the coach of the UP Fighting Maroons; Winston; and Sherida, who manages the family’s condotel Imperial Palace Suites in Quezon City.
Her wake begins Monday, 3:30 p.m., until August 9 at the family’s Valencia Events Place in New Manila, Quezon City. Interment will be on August 10 at The Heritage Park, Taguig City.