Sharon Cuneta on Saturday mourned the death of actress Cherie Gil, whom she described as her "true screen partner", having topbilled the 1985 classic "Butuing Walang Ningning".
Cuneta shared on Instagram that she was able to see Gil in New York for a few hours before she died, where they exchanged words of affection.
"We said 'I love you' and I said I’d see you again today, and you raised both arms and gave me the thumbs up with both hands. Then barely eleven hours after I left you, I was awakened by his call saying you had passed," Cuneta said.
"I leave New York now with a much heavier heart than ever before, because now I am leaving you with the knowledge that I will never see you again... It will never be the same without you. I will never be the same without you," she added.
Cuneta and Gil became household names after they played the roles of Dorina Pineda and Lavinia Arguelles, respectively, in "Bituing Walang Ningning", where Gil delivered her most famous line: "You're nothing but a second-rate, trying hard, copycat!"
In 2019, the two actresses reunited and reenacted their most famous scene, but with Cuneta playing Lavinia and Gil as Dorina.
Cuneta said that among the many loved ones she lost recently, Gil was "one of my most loved, a most important part of my life and my history."
"It is the end of an era now that you’ve left us. What will I do without you now, love? My true screen partner, a true friend, ninang of Simone. I miss you so terribly and know it will only get worse," she said.
"Be at peace in God’s loving arms, my Cheech. I’ll see you again someday. I will love you with all my heart, forever. Thank you for everything," she added.
Gil is survived by her three children, Jay Eigenmann and Raphael and Bianca Rogoff. Among her last projects was "Legal Wives" on GMA Network. In 2020, she taught an online acting masterclass, according to her Instagram.
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