MANILA, Philippines – Filipino music icon Coritha died on Friday night, September 27, her partner Chito Santos confirmed to broadcaster Julius Babao in a video posted on YouTube.

Santos said that while Coritha momentarily fought to get better, he did not want to prolong her suffering as it was clear that she was struggling with her condition.

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In another vlog posted by Babao in July, Coritha was revealed to be bedridden due to a stroke. Santos explained that she was rushed to the hospital after she got up to use the restroom and lost control of her body.

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Coritha then underwent a CT scan, and was found to have experienced several strokes already. When her condition improved, Santos brought her back to his home in Tagaytay City, where she had lived since her home in New Manila got razed by a fire in October 2018.

Santos added that she was still able to speak normally without an oxygen tank, but eventually lost her ability to move her mouth and body.

Coritha’s death comes a month after several OPM artists staged a joint concert to raise funds for her medical treatment.

Coritha, whose real name is Socorro Avelino, is best known for her folk-country anthems in the 1960s and 1970s, using native Filipino instruments. She rose to fame for her protest anthem “Oras Na.”

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– Rappler.com