Claire dela Fuente's son Gigo de Guzman says singer 'feared a lot' but still 'lived her life'

Gigo de Guzman, the son of late singer Claire dela Fuente, reminisced on his mom’s journey and shared how the singer stayed strong despite her fears.

Although known as a “diva with a legendary voice” and a “tough woman,” Claire had fears like everyone else, Gigo said.

“My mom was scared of a lot of things. She had a lot of insecurities, challenges in her finances, businesses, even with us and in her health,” he said in an episode of Tunay Na Buhay.

She soldiered on though, Gigo said, making sure that “she still lived her life to the fullest” and “fought hard until the very end.”

“Claire dela Fuente is someone strong, but just because she was strong, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t afraid,” he said.

“Because the truth is, being brave is not the absence of fear but rather the triumph over is, so that’s what mom is,” he added.

Claire’s other son Mickey de Guzman related this to their mom’s COVID-19 journey and said that Claire was scared from the moment she tested positive for the virus.

He added that not being able to get a hospital room in an instant added to her fear.

“Tinatawagan niya ako na ‘Mickey, natatakot ako.’ Gusto lang daw niya na makakuha ng room man lang para makapag pahinga, kaysa nasa tent lang daw siya (She called me and said, 'Mickey, I'm scared.' She said she just wanted to get a room so she could rest, instead of being in a tent),” he said.

“From that night nung tinawagan niya ako, I could really sense na talagang natatakot siya and talagang anxious na siya, hindi siya makatulog (From that night she called me, I could really sense that she was really scared and anxious and she couldn't sleep),” she added.

Gigo then recalled that he had a “deja vu” in which he saw something bad happen but didn’t acknowledge it and let it go.

“I didn’t want to believe it until my brother woke me up and told me that our mom’s heart stopped pumping,” he said.

“[We were both stunned], we were functioning but we barely knew what we wanted to do. It was an eerie feeling honestly,” he added

Claire died on March 23 due to cardiac arrest brought by the stress from contracting COVID-19 and according to Claire’s sons, they’re still wrapping their head around it.

“No matter how much you prepare for it, you don’t quite expect it even though you already lost your dad before, it still hurts just as much,” Gigo said.

Mickey said it still feels "pretty surreal" and he was having a hard time processing it even though he was the one who signed the death certificate and handled her cremation.

Asked about what they would always remember about their mom, both had the same answer.

“For me is 'yung, be strong, tatagan ang loob, kaya ‘yan all in the name of God (For me, it's to be strong, it can be done in the name of God)," Gigo said. "Always look to God, pray to Him and He will guide you to the right path."

“It’s really prayer and belief that you know with God, anything is possible,” Mickey also said.

Dela Fuente rose to fame in the 1970's as a jukebox icon with hits such as "Sayang." —Franchesca Viernes/JCB, GMA News