MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Nora Aunor, who became one of the biggest stars of Philippine cinema during a career that spanned seven decades, has died.
Aunor died Wednesday, according to social media posts from her children. She was 71. No further details on the cause or place of her death were immediately given.
Filipina actor Lotlot de León said on Instagram that her mother “touched generations with her unmatched talent, grace, and passion for the craft. Her voice, presence, and artistry shaped a legacy that will never fade.”
De León said funeral plans and other details will be shared later.
Aunor, born Nora Cabaltera Villamayor to an impoverished family in eastern Camarines Sur province, sold water in a train station in her hometown in her youth. She first gained fame in her teens as a singer in the 1960s before moving on to movies. She amassed more than 200 credits in film and television that included many classics of Philippine cinema, and won dozens of acting awards.
Memorable roles included 1976’s “Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos” (“Three Years Without God”), 1984’s “Bulaklak sa City Jail” (“Flowers of the City Jail”) and 1995’s “The Flor Contemplacion Story.”
She swept best actress awards in the country for her performance in 1990’s “Andrea, Paano ba ang Maging Isang Ina?” (“Andrea, What is It Like to be a Mother?”) and won best actress at the Asian Film Awards for her portrayal of a midwife in 2012’s “Thy Womb.”
Aunor was still acting as recently as last year, starring in the film “Mananambal” ("The Healer") and appearing on the TV series “Lilet Matias, Attorney-at-Law.”
Aunor was named a National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts — the country's biggest honor for actors — in 2022. In 2014, then-President Benigno Aquino III had denied her the honor because of a previous drug arrest in the U.S., provoking broad outcry.
Aunor’s lawyer said the 2005 arrest at the Los Angeles airport came because of a pipe found in a bag she did not pack, noting she was traveling with four assistants at the time. The charges were dropped in 2007 after she completed a diversion program, her lawyer said in 2014.
Aunor was married to actor Christopher de León from 1975 until 1996.
She is survived by their children Lotlet, Ian, Matet, Kiko and Kenneth de León.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The top Democrat in Florida's Senate is leaving his party, declaring that “the Democratic Party in Florida is dead."
Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo's announcement on the Senate floor Thursday that he's changing his registration to no party affiliation is the latest blow to a party that has struggled to define itself after a series of crushing electoral losses in recent years.
Pizzo called modern partisanship “a mess” and said "constituents are craving practical leaders, not political hacks.”
Once the country's premier swing state, Florida's presidential elections used to be decided by the narrowest of margins. But the state has increasingly slipped out of Democrats' grasp, and the GOP has made significant in-roads in formerly Democratic strongholds like Miami-Dade County. Registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by more than 1.2 million voters.
Pizzo is on a shortlist of rumored gubernatorial candidates for 2026. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited.
“I think stripping myself of the title of a party designation allows me to run free and clear, clean and transparent, and help many, many more," Pizzo said Thursday.
Nikki Fried, the chair of Florida’s Democratic Party, called Pizzo “ineffective and unpopular" in a statement after his announcement.
“Jason’s failure to build support within our party for a gubernatorial run has led to this final embarrassing temper tantrum. I’d be lying if I said I’m sad to see him go, but I wish him the best of luck in the political wilderness he’s created for himself," Fried said. "The Florida Democratic Party is more united without him.”
Pizzo, a former prosecutor who represents parts of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in South Florida, is known as a polished debater willing to openly critique both parties, his leadership role notwithstanding.
His Democratic colleagues in the Senate told reporters they were taken aback by his announcement Thursday, though they said it's not out of character for the “independent thinker.”
“We’re currently in a refocusing phase,” Democratic state Sen. Shevrin Jones said of his party. “I wouldn’t say we are dead. I will say that the Democrats have a lot of work to do. And I won’t sit here and sugarcoat that at all.”
While Democrats were surprised by the announcement, the office of Florida's Republican Senate President Ben Albritton was notified Thursday morning.
In January, Pizzo told The Associated Press that he would not consider running for governor as an independent and that he welcomed the "challenge” of working within the Democratic Party.
A string of Florida lawmakers have left the Democratic Party in recent months, including state Reps. Susan Valdés and Hillary Cassel, who both joined the GOP. As a member of her new party, Valdés on Thursday ascended to the top of the House dais, dressed in red, to preside over a floor session.
FILE - Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-North Miami Beach, speaks to the media in the Senate Office Building at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)