Jaya opens up about the passing of her mother Elizabeth Ramsey in 'Tunay na Buhay'
Published On: October 14, 2015, 08:20 AM
Updated On: February 23, 2020, 03:39 PM
By FELIX ILAYA
Amid being busy with the funeral, Jaya was able to have a sit down with Tunay na Buhay host Rhea Santos to talk about her mom, the Queen of Rock and Roll Elizabeth Ramsey.
When asked what Jaya would miss most about Elizabeth Ramsey or Mama Beth to her close friends, she answered that she will miss their banter.
"Eh 'di 'yung kulit! (imitating Elizabeth Ramsey) 'Day, mayroon ba tayong show sa U.S. 'day?' Walang show! (imitating Elizabeth once more) Kailangan ko mag-show. Gusto ko mag show.' Eh 'di mag-show ka d'yan sa bahay! Ganyan kami mag-comedy. Our life was funny, that's just the way it was," she said.
Jaya shared the instances leading up to Mama Beth's death.
"Nung nagka-diabetic seizure siya, meaning parang epileptic episode, three hours 'yon eh so I'm sure may na [brain] damage. According naman to the doctor, talagang mada-damage ang brain 'pag may seizure. Besides that, previously, may ganoon na siya [dementia], malilimutin na, paulit-ulit na. Pre-dementia na," she added.
Because of this, she was able to prepare herself for her mom's passing.
"She's losing a lot of weight because she's diabetic. At the same time, when you lose a lot of weight, you lose your resistance. So sabi ko 'Naku magtutuloy-tuloy 'to kasi mahinang kumain.' Like this lang [palm-sized]. So I felt and noticed 'yung changes. I felt someone was going to exit this year," she admitted.
Jaya arrived at the hospital a second before Elizabeth gave her last breath, it seems as if her mom was waiting for her. At that moment, she was having a myriad of thoughts and feelings.
"Of course, magiging hysterical ka for a few moments kasi you're trying to understand. Oo in-accept mo [her passing] tapos biglang 'Ha? nawala... Ay teka ano'ng mangayayari?' Oh my God, wala ka ng ina," she said.
But despite all that's been happening, Jaya is very thankful to her mom for all the love and support Mama Beth has given her.
"Just very honored, privileged, to be called the daughter of Elizabeth Ramsey. I use Jaya as my stage name, I don't even use my last name. For some reason when they say "Jaya" [they say] 'Ah, anak ni Ramsey.' So I'm really nothing without her. I do what I do, learned what I learned because of her. Whether or not she's perfect or not [shrugs], ganoon talaga ang tao, hindi naman perfect but she gave me the perfect stage, the perfect lessons, and she died with me; she died with me." she added.
For Elizabeth's eulogy, Jaya praised her mom's entirety.
"From all walks of life, iisa lang sa kanila si Elizabeth, and to her and her eyes, there was no rich or poor, man or woman, black or white; it was just all straight up human beings. Just happy and thankful that you guys were around to enjoy her, so thank you," she concluded.
Perfect timing and meant to be, these are the words that Jaya uses to illustrate her mom's passing. On October 12, Elizabeth Ramsey's remains were cremated.