‘Good night, Coritha. Thank you for your voice and your music. Rest peacefully now, you are free,’ singer Leah Navarro writes
MANILA, Philippines – OPM artists paid tribute to the late music icon Coritha, who died on Friday, September 27, at the age of 73.
Coritha’s partner, Chito Santos, broke the news of her passing through Julius Babao’s YouTube channel on Friday evening.
Numerous personalities and OPM artists paid tribute to Coritha and her contributions to Filipino music.
Independent artist Dong Abay, who popularized classic Filipino rock songs such as “Banal Na Aso, Santong Kabayo” during his years as lead vocalist of the band Yano, shared an acoustic cover of “Oras Na,” one of the late singer’s classic songs, on Facebook.
“Maraming salamat sa musika, Coritha. Isang mapayapang paglalakbay (Thank you so much for the music, Coritha. May you have a peaceful journey),” he wrote.
Meanwhile, singer Leah Navarro penned a short message to Coritha on X.
“Good night, Coritha. Thank you for your voice and your music. Rest peacefully now, you are free,” she wrote.
Good night, Coritha. Thank you for your voice and your music. Rest peacefully now, you are free.
— Leah Navarro (@leahnavarro) September 28, 2024
Historian Joseph Scalice also crafted a lengthy X post to honor Coritha and the remarkable compositions she’s become known for throughout her music career. Scalice said that the late musician’s songs “gave musical voice to the best aspirations of youth in the late ’60s/early ’70s in the Philippines.”
Though Scalice believed “Oras Na” was deservedly one of Coritha’s most popular tracks, he shared that he believed her greatest song is “Lolo Jose,” which paints a portrait of an aged man in the remaining days of his life.
But I think that Coritha’s greatest song, the one that lingers longest with the listener is Lolo Jose. Its sympathetic portrait of an aged man, shuffling out the last days of his life, “pinagmamasdan na lamang sa bintana ang unti-unting pagdaloy ng ulan.”
Once a man of stature,…
— Joseph Scalice (@josephscalice) September 28, 2024
“The song speaks like no other to the dusty forgotten lives of the provincial aged, the chloroform sound of old songs on an old radio lingering in the humid evening air, the concentrated stillness of saddened nostalgia, and the fragile, aching boredom of waiting to die,” he wrote, adding that it was impossible for him not to cry every time he listened to it.
Scalice also added he felt “Habilin” stands as Coritha’s last message to her listeners, quoting the lyrics, “Kung saan kami nadapa, doon bumangon ka. […] Mali ng aming panahon, sa panahon mo iwasto (Where we tripped, you rose. […] The mistakes of our times, you correct in yours).“
I feel like this song, Habilin, stands as her last message to her listeners.
“Kung saan kami nadapa, doon bumangon ka. …
Mali ng aming panahon, sa panahon mo iwasto.”Paalam, Coritha, at salamat. 5/5https://t.co/yMqP0LjP32
— Joseph Scalice (@josephscalice) September 28, 2024
Benefit shows
OPM artists such as Emma Lucero, Jesse Bartolome, and Erwin Guevara, among others, will hold a benefit show entitled “Isang Gabi ng Tugtugan Alay Kay Coritha” on October 12 in Parañaque City.
Proceeds from the event will be given to Coritha’s partner.
In July, Babao uploaded a video on his YouTube channel revealing that the singer was bedridden due to several strokes, which ignited the fundraising concerts for her medical treatment, prior to her death.
On August 5, several OPM artists like Lolita Carbon, Mike Villegas, and Bayang Barrios staged “Awit Para Kay Coritha.” Meanwhile, on August 18, another fundraising gig entitled “OPM Spotlight: Para kay Coritha” featured performances from Noel Cabangon, Lolita Carbon, and Kian Dionisio, among others, in Quezon City.
A charity night was also held on September 14, “Mahal ka ng Bayan, an Oras Na Charity Night for Coritha,” featuring Freddie Aguilar and Lolita Carbon with Asin Band. – with reports from Rev dela Cruz/Rappler.com
Rev dela Cruz is a Rappler intern studying AB Journalism at the University of Santo Tomas.
