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Lea Salonga, Audie Gemora, Jett Pangan mourn death of theater director Freddie Santos

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA -- Members of the theater industry took to social media on Thursday to mourn the death of stage director and actor Freddie Santos.</p><p>In a Facebook post, Broadway icon Lea Salonga said she will miss Santos, adding that she will never forget her &quot;Daddy Warbucks.&quot;</p><p>Santos portrayed the said character in &quot;Annie,&quot; where Salonga took on her first starring role.</p><p>&quot;Rest in peace, my Daddy Warbucks. I&#x27;ll never forget you. With love, your Annie,&quot; Salonga wrote.</p><p>&quot;Freddie Santos passed away this morning. He was my first leading man, a mentor, a teacher. A brilliant writer and director. You will be missed, Tito Freddie,&quot; she added.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/missleasalonga/posts/10158645038295482" data-width="auto"> </div><p>Audie Gemora, president of Philstage and co-founder of the theater group Trumpets, also took to Facebook to pay tribute to Santos.</p><p>Posting a photo of him with the late theater director and actor, Gemora wrote: &quot;Freddie always understood magnificence. His grandness was too big for most of us to grasp. But I believe the Lord will now show him the kind of theater he always dreamed of. Even together create art beyond anything we can ever imagine.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I will miss Freddie terribly,&quot; he went on. &quot;His humor, his laughter, his mind, heart and soul. But he has left more than enough love, memories and great works to last my lifetime and beyond. Til we meet and perform together again... &#x27;Joining our hands we sing Hallelujah!&#x27;&quot;</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160524443838989&amp;set=a.65295903988" data-width="auto"> </div><p>The Dawn frontman Jett Pangan, for his part, recalled his fond memories with Santos.</p><p>&quot;Wish I owned old pics with him when he had long hair and a beard, when he directed The Dawn back in the late &#x27;80s (Teddy Diaz on guitar, Clay Luna on bass) for what was probably our first mainstream production experience involving an actual director... and a script,&quot; Pangan wrote.</p><p>He continued: &quot;He carried the demeanor of someone who held an extensive resumé in the field of entertainment but extended patience to a young band that only knew how to play loud and sweaty.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I will never forget what he told me after the show: &#x27;Jett, your spiels are getting better... and better...&#x27; in a fading, exasperated tone. The rest of the band laughed. In that gig at Light And Sound, a record exec watched and eventually took the risk of signing us up,&quot; Pangan said as he thanked Santos, adding that he &quot;will be missed.&quot;</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10157944890726172&amp;set=a.10150290646631172" data-width="auto"> </div><p>In an interview with ABS-CBN News&#x27; Mario Dumaual, Santos&#x27; sister Bambi Santos said the director died on Thursday morning after struggling with diabetes complications.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/12/17/20/theater-icon-freddie-santos-passes-away-at-64">READ: Theater icon Freddie Santos passes away at 64</a></li></ul><div><strong>Below are other messages posted by industry veterans as a tribute to Santos:</strong></div><div><strong>SHEILA FRANCISCO, ACTRESS</strong></div><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/sheila.p.francisco/posts/10158346181388025" data-width="auto"> </div><div><strong>BUTCH JIMENEZ, PRODUCER</strong></div><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/butch.jimenez.1/posts/3594691580578293" data-width="auto"> </div><div><strong>ISSA LITTON, ACTRESS</strong></div><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10157265944666887&amp;set=a.446796661886" data-width="auto"> </div><div><strong>LITO VILLAREAL, SINGER</strong></div><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160736561484741&amp;set=a.438396089740" data-width="auto"> </div><div><strong>RACHELLE GERODIAS, SINGER</strong></div><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/rachelle.gerodias.5/posts/10157323478565443" data-width="auto"> </div><div><strong>Related video:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OWN8ossOyeo?enablejsapi=1"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Members of the theater industry took to social media on Thursday to mourn the death of stage director and actor Freddie Santos.</p>

Members of the theater industry took to social media on Thursday to mourn the death of stage director and actor Freddie Santos.