WHILE this year saw the revival of live events in the worlds of style and entertainment, it also took away some of fashion’s brightest stars and the screen’s trailblazing talents. This heartbreaking loss of pop-culture icons is felt both in the local and international scenes.
Earlier in the year, this column already bade farewell to Black cinema pioneer Sidney Poitier and French heartthrob Gaspard Ulliel; avant-garde designer Manfred Thierry Mugler, and Japanese design greats Hanae Mori, Issey Miyake; and Pinoy creatives like actor/designer Fanny Serrano and Hollywood makeup artist James Cooper.
One of my all-time favorites, Dame Angela Lansbury died on October 11 just days before her 97th birthday. She was considered one of the last surviving actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood, but I knew and loved her as the feisty sleuth Jessica Fletcher on TV’s Murder, She Wrote. She had acclaimed turns in Gaslight (1944), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Death on the Nile (1978) and Beauty and the Beast (1991). Her final film appearance was in Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Stars of music and film who passed on included country superstar Loretta Lynn (90), whose biopic Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) won Sissy Spacek an Oscar. Grease icon Olivia Newton-John died aged 73 following a battle with breast cancer. John Travolta, her leading man, left a loving tribute: “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much.”
Irene Cara, who sang the soundtracks of my youth such as “Fame,” “What a Feeling” and “Out Here on My Own,” died on November 26 at the age of 63. She paved the way for Latina musical superstars such as Selena, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Camilla Cabello.
LGBT icon Leslie Jordan, comedian and actor who appeared on Will and Grace, American Horror Story and Ally McBeal, died on October 24 at 67. He rose to Instagram fame during the pandemic with his heartwarming and hilarious videos. Drag queen Cherry Valentine, who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 2, died on September 18 of unknown cause. As George Ward, he was a mental-health nurse; as Cherry, she was the first queen of Romani heritage to compete on the show.
Louise Fletcher, who won an Oscar for her role as the iconic villain Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), died on September 23, aged 88. William Hurt, who won an Oscar for his role as an effeminate homosexual in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), died on March 13, aged 71. I was obsessed with him in Body Heat (1981) and Broadcast News (1987). Also bidding us farewell were Paul Sorvino, James Caan, Ray Liotta and Bob Saget.
Honorary Oscar awardee for 2010 Jean-Luc Godard, French-Swiss pioneer of the French New Wave film movement who directed the stylish Breathless (1960), died on September 13 aged 91. Oscar nominee for Das Boot (1981) and German director of The Perfect Storm (2000) and Troy (2004), Wolfgang Peterson died on August 12 aged 81. Canadian filmmaker of Czechoslovakian descent Ivan Reitman, who helmed the original Ghostbusters, died on February 12 aged 75. American film journalist-turned director Peter Bogdanovich, known for The Last Picture Show (1971) and Paper Moon (1973), died on January 6 aged 82.
We shared in the joy of our own Dolly de Leon for her Golden Globe nomination in the Palm D’or-winning Triangle of Sadness. But we also mourn the passing of her promising costar, Charlbi Dean, who died on August 29 at 32 of a viral infection in her lungs. The stunning South African model-actress could have had a long career as the acclaimed Italian actress Monica Vitti (who died on February 2 at 90) and French/Mexican-American actress Yvette Mimieux (who died on January 18 at 80).
This year, the pageant world was shocked when Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst jumped to her death on January 30. At only 30, Cheslie was an attorney who also hosted Extra, for which she was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards. She reigned in a year that saw Black beauty queens also winning Misses Universe, World, Teen USA and America.
Besides Sidney Poitier, Black cinema also lost another icon this year. Nichelle Nichols, who rose to stardom for her role in Star Trek, died of heart failure on July 30 at age 89. As Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, she reportedly pushed NASA to expand their efforts to recruit women.
Local showbiz was inconsolable over the sudden passing of Cherie Gil, considered the most acclaimed of contravidas. She died on August 5 at age 59 of a rare form of endometrial cancer. She essayed many iconic characters on film, TV and stage. As a fashion muse, it was perfect casting when she once played onstage the fashion oracle Diana Vreeland in Full Gallop (2014).
Filipino fashion also lost some of its stellar talents. Besides Fanny Serrano, 2022 also took away young designer Yako Reyes, who taught fashion at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
Jun-Jun Cambe, an early avant-garde purveyor in the country, gave his curtain call on October 11 at age 68 after a long illness. The most adventurous in terms of design aesthetic, Cambe stuck to the courage of his sartorial convictions.
A devastating loss for the fashion industry was the passing of the great Auggie Cordero on October 24 at age 78. During his comeback gala in 2007, after a 13-year absence from the runway, he told me about mastering the formula of working on a collection:“Seventy-five percent is about the fabric and lining; 20 percent is the cutting and silhouette; and 5 percent is the ornamentation and embellishment.”
Cordero looked relieved and revitalized after the show. His favorite Margaritas (Tingting Cojuangco and Margie Moran)—his Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O—were present. A standing ovation from Manila’s well-heeled crowd does not happen that often.
Cordero held back his tears, more so when Cojuangco asked: “Are you happy?” Controlling himself, “Yes,” he replied. “Good, because it’s a great show.”