Veteran character actor Charlie Davao, father of Ricky Davao, passed away Sunday morning after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 76. Davao died at around 11:30 A.M. at the Philippine General Hospital, his family said. Actress Jackie Lou Blanco, Ricky's wife, said Davao's children, grandchildren and other relatives were at his bedside when he passed away. Ricky, however, was in Cebu, and was on his way to Manila, she added. “I arrived with my son at 9:30 A.M. Daddy was dying, he had a hard time breathing,” she said. She said the family will announce the final funeral details as soon as they are available. According to reports, Davao's cancer was detected in December 2009 and that he underwent an operation right after. Born Charles Dabao in Iloilo City, he went to Manila in 1954 to pursue his college education. He was a commerce student at the University of the East while involved in commercial and print ad modeling. He went into acting after a friend told him about an audition at the Sampaguita Pictures. He was introduced in “Isinumpa” in 1959. – ABS
