Rico J. Puno dies, he was 65

Singer and OPM legend Rico J. Puno passed away on Tuesday, according to a report on Unang Balita.

The report was confirmed to GMA News by his manager, Anna Puno, Star Media Entertainment president and CEO.

In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, Norma Japitana, Rico J. Puno's manager for 35 years, said the singer went to a hospital on Sunday for a regular checkup but was not allowed to leave the facility.

"Actually, he was there at the hospital for a regular checkup and then hindi na siya pinaalis," she said, adding the singer's cause of death was "heart-related."

Japitana said Puno underwent heart surgery in the past and received a pacemaker in August.

He had a triple bypass operation in April 2015 and a benefit concert was held for him a month after.

Rico J. Puno, known for such hits as "Kapalaran", "May Bukas Pa", "Macho Gwapito" and "Magkasuyo Buong Gabi," was supposed to hold a concert in November, according to Japitana.

Malacañang expressed its condolences over the death of Puno on Tuesday.

“We express our condolences to a legend that is Rico J. Puno. He has contributed a lot in the music industry,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said at a press briefing.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Puno's songs and albums paved the way for the Filipino artist to be accepted in high society.

Senator Grace Poe, meanwhile, remembered Puno tagging along her father, the late Fernando Poe Jr., to serenade her mother, Susan Roces.

Celebrities, among them Lea Salonga, Martin Nievera, and Aiai delas Alas, expressed their sadness on social media at the death of Puno. — BAP/KBK/KG, GMA News