John Regala was survived by his wife and his US-based biological son John Paul Kieffer
Veteran actor John Regala, known for his feisty and villainous onscreen performances since the 1980s, died on Saturday, June 3, 2023.
Born on Sept. 12, 1967, John passed away at the age of 55.
“He died at 6:28 a.m. of cardiac arrest due to liver and kidney complications at the New Era General Hospital,” John’s wife, Victoria Scherrer said in an interview.
Turns out the seasoned star actor had been under critical care for three weeks at the Quezon City hospital until he expired, Victoria added.
A versatile actor and son of movie stalwart Ruby Regal, John kickstarted his entertainment career as a member of “That’s Entertainment” in the 1980s.
He then moved on to become an action lead and villain in several films such as “Boy Kristiano,” (1989) “Isa-Isahin ko Kayo,” (1990) “Primitivo Ebok Ala: Kalaban Mortal ni Baby Ama,” (1992), and “The Vizconde Massacre: God Help Us” (1993).
Later on, he ventured into other genres, including the 2011 horror comedy film “Zombading: Patayin Sa Shokot Si Remington.” That same year, he bagged the Best Supporting Actor trophy in the 2011 Metro Manila Film Festival for his role in “Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story.”
He also joined the Kapamilya primetime soap “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” before the pandemic.
Victoria expressed her gratitude to John’s celebrity friends who have graciously offered assistance while he was battling his condition.
“Nagpapasalamat din ako sa mga kapwa niya artista, gayundin ang mga studio, lahat po ng tumulong sa kanya,” she said.
“Gayundin sa tiyuhin niyang si senator Robin Padilla at sa kanyang pamilya na hindi siya pinabayaan. Napakabuti po niya!“
John’s health condition
Recall that John made headlines in 2020 after being spotted by a delivery rider in Pasay. The rider described John to be very weak which prompted him to bring the actor to the nearest barangay hall.
After this, some of his friends, including Nadia Montenegro and Liza Diño came to John’s rescue.
It was then revealed that John was suffering from liver cirrhosis and kidney disease.
At the moment, John’s family is still finalizing wake arrangements for the actor at St. Peter Chapels in Tandang Sora, Quezon City.
John was survived by his wife and his US-based biological son John Paul Kieffer, with whom he reconnected in 2020.
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