Novelty singer Yoyoy Villame passes away

Yoyoy Villame, the irrepressible novelty singer-composer known for his humorous take on the Filipino way of life, succumbed Friday to cardiac arrest at the Las Piñas Medical Center. Villame's family told dzBB radio that he was admitted into the hospital at 9 a.m. but doctors doctors failed to revive him. He complained of difficulty breathing and chest pains. He expired at about 12 noon. Born in 1932, Yoyoy barged into the music scene in 1977 during the Martial Law years with his off-the-wall physical fitness anthem, Mag-exercise Tayo (Let's Exercise). Roman Villame in real life, the Bohol-raised Yoyoy experimented and recorded many songs in the Bisaya dialect. He even came up with the classic Abuchikik, a unique song driven by a catchy melody and seemingly unintelligible words. Included in his repertoire are hit songs Tarsan at Barok, Si Filemon, Nasaan Ka Darling (Where Are You, Darling?) and Da Da Da. Yoyoy also built a career in front of the movie camera, but was relegated mostly to supporting roles. In 2004, Yoyoy played a Visayan troubadour in the critically acclaimed movie, Babae sa Breakwater (Women of the Breakwater). The Villame family are now discussing the details of the deceased performer's final rites. - GMANews.TV