One of the so-called Jukebox Kings of the Philippines, Victor Wood, passed away this Friday morning at the age of 74.
In a report by Glen Juego on Super Radyo dzBB, it was said that the veteran singer passed away at the New Era Hospital.
Victor was reportedly in the hospital for several days due to ashma.
In a separate report by Lhar Santiago, Victor’s wife Nerissa said they took the singer to the hospital on Thursday due to asthma.
He then tested positive for COVID-19 that night and had pneumonia.
The singer was also intubated due to a drop in his oxygen level.
Victor’s condition reportedly improved slightly while in the hospital but it worsened on Friday morning until passed away.
Victor Wood was a Filipino singer, actor, and politician. He passed away on April 23, 2021 due to COVID-19 complications. His voice earned him various titles, including “Jukebox King” and “Plaka King.”
Jukebox King Victor Wood dies at 74
Before becoming a singer, Wood starred in some productions of Sampaguita Pictures. He was a member of Iglesia ni Cristo. He previously hosted the show Beautiful Sunday every Sunday on Net25.
In 1972, Wood released the album In Despair. He was a very popular singer of that era, and recorded many albums for Vicor Records. In Despair is an album of cover versions of popular English songs from the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1974, Victor Wood released Ihilak. Eleven of the album’s 12 songs are Philippine folk/love songs sung in Visayan language. The remaining song, “Gugma Ko”, uses the melody of Neil Diamond’s “Song Sung Blue” and replaces the original English lyrics with Visayan language.
He and his family migrated to the US in the 1970s.
Wood has two children with his second wife, Ofelia Mercado Ponce, whom he met during his stay in the United States. Together they have a son, Simon, and a daughter, Sydney Victoria.
Last month, fellow OPM singer Claire Dela Fuente also died of cardiac arrest. She also tested positive for COVID-19 but had to wait in tent outside the hospital in Las Piñas.
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