Filipino Singing Sensation April Boy Regino Dies at 51: Cause of Death Is Unknown

April Boy Regino Dead

Screengrab via GMA April Boy Regino pictured in 2014

April Boy Regino is the Filipino singer who died on November 29 at the age of 51. Regino’s cause of death has not been made public. He is survived by his wife, Madel.

Regino’s death comes six years after he retired from show business following a battle with prostate cancer. Regino was first diagnosed with the disease in 2009. In 2015, Regino said that he had become blind in his left eye following a diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Regino’s death was confirmed by his brother Vingo on Facebook. Vingo Regino wrote, “This day is so sad.. my brother April Boy is gone.”

Regino’s brothers, Vingo and Jimmy, are members of the group April Boys. Regino’s son, JC, is also a singer and performer. On the day of his father’s death, JC Regino posted a photo of a lit candle on his Facebook page. On his Instagram page, Regino writes in his bio, “Music doesn’t lie..If there is something to be changed in this world,then it can only happen through music.” Regino had another child, a daughter named Charmeine. In the wake of her father’s death, Charmaine Regino made an emotional post on Facebook.


Regino’s Style Was Once Criticized as Being ‘Tacky’

According to Billboard Magazine, Regino sold 120,000 units of his album The Heart Is Crying in 1996 in his homeland going triple platinum. The same article said that Regino had come under criticism in his homeland and was derogatorily referred to as being “baduy,” a Filipino word meaning “tacky.”


Regino Said in 2014 that His Doctors Wanted Him to Retire in Order to Rest Following His Prostate Cancer Battle

Regino gave his final interview in January 2014. He was quoted by ABS-CBN as saying that his doctor’s told him to rest despite being given the all-clear with regard to his prostate cancer diagnosis. Regino said that he would miss performing for his fans but his health was his priority. Despite his apparent retirement, Regino released a new album in 2015.


Regino Credited His Wife, Madel, as Getting Him Through His Cancer Battle

Regino told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in November 2011 that he would not he would not have survived his first battle with prostate cancer if wasn’t for the love and support of his wife, Madel. Madel Ringo told the newspaper, “He got very depressed when he was diagnosed. He stopped eating and refused all conventional treatments. He was reduced to skin and bones. He kept saying, ‘If I must die, then so be it.’”

Madel Ringo said that at the time of her husband’s first diagnosis, the family was living in the United States. Due to a lack of health insurance, they were left seeking medical welfare from the U.S. government. Eventually, the family returned to Manila, the Filipino capital with Region promising his wife that he would help his son to become a singer. During this time, Regino used alternative medicines that helped to defeat his prostate cancer.


Regino Said that Controversial Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte Helped to Pay for His Medical Bills

In 2016, the Manila Times reported that Regino said that controversial Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte helped to pay for his medical bills. Regino was quoted as saying, “I’d just be surprised to find a good amount of money deposited in my account… and I wouldn’t know until much later it came from him.” Regino was pictured at a party being thrown by Duterte.

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