Recently, singer Rico Blanco made a heartfelt public plea for his brother who was battling cancer. His call for help truly moved many netizens, showing just how deeply he loves his sibling.

According to an article from Bandera, Rico Blanco’s younger brother, Rey, passed away at the age of 50. He had been suffering from skin cancer. Rey was the youngest sibling of the singer-songwriter Rico Blanco, who is widely known as one of the vocalists of the band Rivermaya.

Rey’s passing was a sorrowful event confirmed by his daughter, Daniela, and Rivermaya drummer Mark Escueta through their social media accounts.

Yesterday, May 15, they posted:
“Our Daddy King has peacefully joined our Creator.”
This was part of the heartfelt message from Rey’s daughter:
“We love you always and forever. God, like you always say, thank you, love you.”

Mark Escueta, husband of Jolina Magdangal and former bandmate of Rico in Rivermaya before Rico pursued a solo music career, also posted a tribute on his Instagram page:
“Farewell, brother. 🙏”

Many expressed their condolences to Rico Blanco. It can be recalled that earlier this year, Rico had asked for prayers for his brother Rey after he was diagnosed with an advanced and very aggressive type of squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer.

According to Rico, it was the toughest battle their family had ever faced, and he hoped it wasn’t too late for his brother.
He wrote:
“Please pray for King’s strength and healing. Only heaven really knows what’s best for my dear brother, but we are keeping our hopes up.”

— Rico Blanco