
Maxene Magalona is recalling her father Francis M's love for animals after what would have been his 57th birthday.
The actress posted an old family photo on her Instagram account and shared that her father's name actually comes from Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and whose feast day is also on Francis Magalona's birthday.
Maxene then shared that just like the saint, Francis also had a sincere love of animals and had pets like a dachshund named Coolie and the whippet named Phaedra.
She then shared a heartbreaking story about Francis' favorite pet, a Chihuahua named Gringo who was "fierce and feisty but the most loyal companion ever.” According to Maxene, Gringo never left her father's side, even in death.
“On the day he passed away, he took his last breath as he circled around Papa's feet and laid himself to rest beside his favorite human,” she wrote.
Maxene isn't the only one remembering her father at the occasion of his birthday. Maxene's mom and Francis' wife Pia also shared an old photo with the Filipino hip-hop pioneer and expressed how much she was missing him. She also called on Francis to work his magic "up above and protect us.”
Francis is just one of the many celebrities that have succumbed to cancer. Here's a look at those who battled cancer in the gallery below.