It was in 2010 when the country first knew of the talent that was Jovit Baldivino. He was just 16 years old when he joined the first season of Pilipinas Got Talent.

At that time, Jovit was a simple high school student from Batangas. He was one of five siblings, and his parents were struggling to make ends meet. They weren’t well-off, so he tried to add to the family income by doing side hustles like selling siomai and singing at birthday parties. Jovit’s goals were simple: to finish his studies and to help out his family.

Joining the talent search opened so many opportunities for Jovit to further hone his talent. He was a crowd favorite. Despite his small stature, Jovit was able to fill a room with his larger-than-life voice. He emerged as the Grand Winner and he was able to bring home PHP2 million to his family.

That was just the beginning, but it was a major turning point that allowed Jovit to fulfill his dreams.

After winning Pilipinas Got Talent, Jovit went on to release several albums, a number of which reached platinum status. His rendition of the song “Pusong Bato” even became the soundtrack of the ABS-CBN series Juan dela Cruz. His most requested songs also include “Ika’y Mahal Pa Rin”, Journey’s “Faithfully” and Queen’s “Too Much Love Will Kill You”.

Jovit also became a mainstay in the variety show ASAP for several years and even dabbled in acting. He was part of Growing Up alongside Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, 1DOL with Sarah Geronimo, Coco Martin, and Sam Milby, and Juan Dela Cruz with Coco again.

Jovit continued to support his family and was able to build a house for them in Batangas. He was also able to finish his studies and went on to take BS Criminology at Batangas State University in the hopes of becoming a lawyer someday.

“’Yun ‘yung isa sa mga pangarap ko -- kung hindi ako maging mechanical engineer, gusto ko mag-abogado,” he once revealed in an interview.

READ: Jovit Baldivino pursues Criminology as pre-law course

Even then, he didn’t stop working. He juggled his college degree with acting workshops, concerts, shows, and recordings.

"Gusto ko po sabay kasi kaya ko pa naman po kasi bata pa naman po ako. Ako lang po kasi ang bumubuhay sa pamilya, so kailangan ko po nung [work]," he reasoned.

Jovit was determined to make every opportunity count and lived his life to the fullest. Until the very end, Jovit was doing what he did best: singing.

Little did people know that Jovit was on hypertension maintenance medication. On December 3, 2022, against medical advice, he happily sang for a crowd in Batangas.

“He was gasping for breath on the third song. After an hour while sitting, his face was deformed with flowing saliva. He was then rushed to the nearest ER at Nazareth of Jesus Hospital,” reported his family.

Scans showed signs of an aneurysm and he was comatose for five days before he finally passed away at 4:00 am on December 9, 2022 due to stroke complications.

READ: Family of Jovit Baldivino reveals more details about singer’s death

It was indeed a shock to the industry to find out that Jovit passed away at the young age of 29. Fans and colleagues sent their condolences to the family. OPM champions Yeng Constantino, Angeline Quinto, and Marcelito Pomoy also shared their sentiments for their fellow Pinoy Champ.

READ: Yeng Constantino, Angeline Quinto, and Marcelito Pomoy mourn death of Jovit Baldivino

Jovit is survived by his two daughters from previous relationships, Zody and Akeaya. He also left behind fiancé Camille Ann Miguel, his siblings, and his parents.